Clarksville Capers

2011-12-08T18:00:00.001-08:00

it was a chilly morn.... the summer world was covered in glitter.....

Superhero-superobsession!

2011-12-07T10:16:00.001-08:00

Lately, Luke is REALLY into superheroes..... He mostly never argues with my outfit choice of the day if it involves Batman, Superman, The Hulk, and sometimes even Super-Grover.... This past weekend, he spent Saturday dressed in his new Junk-food Batman shirt (which has a really neat cape that can be attached with Velcro) and Sunday he decided to be Superman. He wore a little blue silk cape that came from Wal-mart. He has also learned somewhere along the way that Batman "pights" (fights) and he will crouch down in this squirrel-like stance and then pop up and say "pight". I love that he is getting to the point of imaginary play.

Potty-schmotty

2011-12-06T10:41:00.001-08:00

So.... Luke is over 2.... he loves to READ on the potty, but rarely does anything else happen on there. We have a seat adapter thing (as shown) and a small potty, but so far we haven't been successful in the potty training. He is interested in the idea of potty, so we encourage him to sit, but he just hasn't
"GOTTEN" it yet. I know they say that it takes a bit longer for boys to become trained, but we are going to shoot for full-out potty training the week after Christmas! Wish us luck!!

A new favorite thing to do...

2011-12-04T20:44:00.001-08:00

My sweet boy.... actually putting the ornaments on the tree.... His FAVORITE thing to do is to take them off and put them back on. I totally meant to decorate the rest of the tree this weekend, but I just didn't get around to it. We had our North Pole breakfast (a week later than I intended), we had lunch and a nap, and I made a casserole for dinner (Paula Deen's mexican chicken casserole), I did SEVERAL loads of laundry and dishes, made a trip to Wal-Mart and worked on my new garlands (I will post those soon).
I hope that you all had a lovely weekend! Monday arrives soon!

where oh where

2011-12-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Where have I been? Each day I think to myself, "I really need to blog"..... well..... I do! I really do! I love looking through the old posts and so.... I PROMISE, really really PROMISE that this is something that I am going to start doing again. I want to be able to go over most of my days with my sweet Luke and remember and re-live....

So.... we went to Alabama for Thanksgiving. Luke got to ride the golf-cart at my dad's for 2 solid days and now each morning (and every other opportunity to tell us what he wants to do) he says "I go ride in go-cart?!"

I GRADUATED!

2011-08-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

yep.... I did it... I finally graduated!!! It sure took long enough! HA! Actually, this time just flew by. I started when Luke was 3 months old and next month, the little man will be 2 years old! I hope to get back into the swing of blogging again... baby steps.....

I am here.... and there....

2011-06-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all... it has been a while! I have been busy with home projects and photography and my other blog.... I have a new site for my business and I have been better about posting there. You can visit me at www.wthestudio.com if you wish. In the meantime....

Photography posting

2011-03-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of questions via my email and facebook about photography. I think that I am will start sharing some of them here. I know that good photos and techniques are important in blogland, but they are super-important in the everyday world of preserving life's memories. It is highly unlikely that anyone who picks up a camera (either your point and shoot or your fancy DSLR) is going to immediately know how to get the best shot, so I figured that you could benefit from my thousands of dollars of tuition :). hehe

Today we are going to talk about composition. This sounds easy-peasy... right? Well you will be surprised how easy it actually is to take a precious moment from "okay, cool" to "WOW" just by changing YOUR POINT OF VIEW. We are so used to just pointing the camera and clicking. Try getting down at a different level. That cute baby is adorable when you are standing over him, but how about trying a shot at his level? See what a difference your positioning makes!? It turns into a much more dynamic shot!

Luke's first SLIDE!

2011-03-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

We took Luke to the park down by the riverfront on Saturday afternoon. It was the first pretty day that we have had in such a long time. I think everyone has had cabin fever because there were like 500 kids running around (not really but close). When we got there, I saw the massive amounts of people and I decided we should just turn around and leave and find another park. Luke surprised me and had a great time playing on ALL of the slides. He even did the "BIG SLIDE" and LOVED it.

toy cameras

2011-03-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

I thought I would take this post in a bit of a different direction. I am so excited that I have been able to take the lens from a toy plastic Diana camera and mount it into my DSLR. I snapped a quick picture this afternoon when the sun was barely peeking out and I am just giddy with the results.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

well... Happy Valentine's day! We ended up at the emergency after-hours clinic with another ear infection tonight. Not the most romantic way to spend the holiday... but I am so thankful for my sweet boy. It has been nothing short of nuts lately. We have been without a dryer since Saturday and it is finally fixed (thanks to my sweet Father in law and husband). Tomorrow I will tackle the laundry.... tonight.... I sleep... I hope.... you never know with a sick baby!

MLK jr day!

2011-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

Hello.... Is this thing on?
For the last month or so, Luke has been using EVERYTHING for a telephone (refer to above picture, he even uses my UGGS). It is so funny. Once he finds a "telephone" he goes off and has little conversations with the person on the other end. He even tries to run into his playroom for some privacy! It is so very funny to see what he comes up with each day.

Today we had a rare treat to spend time together as a family on a weekday! Unfortunately, Luke was sick with a fever all night. At 5am, we woke up and took some more generic tylenol and grabbed some milk in a sippy cup and I turned on the TV and watched "Pingu" (a British clay-mation show that Luke has loved for a very long time... we can only find it on NetFlix in case anyone wants to check it out). Finally around 7ish the boys got up and went into the living room and THEY FELL ASLEEP! I knew it was quiet, but I would have never guessed that those two were snuggled up on the couch!
Luke's fever did finally give us the first part of the day to go and eat lunch. We had planned on Chick-Fil-A, and instead of going in and letting Luke play in the playground for the first time, we went through the drive thru and we grabbed some cupcakes for dessert. Of course, we brought a few extras home! After we came home, we played for a little bit and then Luke and I went and took a very long nap. Josh had time to play PS3. After we got up, I tried a new recipe for dinner and we are watching The Bachelor while Luke plays here in the living room. We have had an awesome day and I am so very thankful for my boys!

uh oh... nooooooo

2011-01-16T15:22:00.001-08:00

Getting ready this morning was an adventure. I normally plug in and turn on my hair straightener and give it time to warm up while I go and gather up my clothes for the day, brush my teeth and sometimes I have time to refill the doggy water bowls.... But today... (cue the scary music) MY HAIR STRAIGHTENER WOULD NOT WORK! It never got hot! This is almost as bad as those few times in my life where my hair dryer quit working..... The last time I had a problem with my hair straightener was when Josh and I went to Gatlinburg before we found out that I was pregnant and I was vomiting so violently that somehow my hair straightener hit the floor and split into pieces!
Back to getting ready...
I tried to use my tiny hair straightener that I bought because I thought that I "wanted bangs". It doesn't get very hot so I had to go searching for my old giant barrel curling iron (because that thing gets REALLY hot). I ended up straightening my hair with a curling iron. I think this is very ironic.

Anyhoo, we made a trip to Wal-Mart and I purchased a new straightener. I will let you know how it works out tomorrow. Also on our way home, we smelled a skunk. Luke must have smelled it too because he started shaking his head and saying "soo wee" (shoo wee) and we just cracked up! He is at that age where he just randomly says things or repeats things. I hope everyone had a great weekend. We are going to try to do something fun tomorrow because Josh and I actually have the day off together!

Decades of waiting.....

2011-01-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

Sooooo guess what!?

I get to see.... that guy up there today! The Cosby Show was one of the very few shows that I was allowed to watch growing up and I still watch the reruns today and I can pretty much quote them all! I loved his parenting style and his relationship with his "kids" and I can only hope that I will have the grace and the wisdom to emulate that with my own family. I am super excited to finally see him in person today! Thank you, Josh, for an awesome present!!

2011-01-14T17:50:00.001-08:00

For a while I have been ignoring my blog while reading all the wonderful posts of others and today I decided (again) to get serious with my blogging. I am determined to just share my day and, of course, the things I love and just let this blog be whatever it is meant to be. I think that I suffered from a combination of bloggy-burnout, stress from school, and time-management issues. I have realized that I love looking back at my old posts and it is a shame that I haven't been keeping up with it like I originally intended.

So here is to a fresh start...

Tonight, I ate reheated pizza from a place I really don't like. My son loves pizza and he wasn't too keen on it either. After not really eating our pizza, we managed to eat some fudge stripe cookies. Don't judge, he wants to eat EVERYTHING that I eat, so we both had to have cookies. I am no sitting on a very lumpy couch. Why is it lumpy? Because I think 50% of all the toys that Luke owns are STUFFED behind the back cushions. I have given up trying to retrieve them for the 45th time today and I will continue my battle after he has gone to bed. I am afraid that my cellphone has now gone to join all the toys behind the couch cushions so I am going to have to sign off! Enjoy a little picture of Luke and Josh and their new nightly ritual of eating ice cream in the middle of the kitchen floor!

so very behind....

2010-12-10T16:38:00.001-08:00

I cannot even begin to describe the chaos that we endure on a daily basis.... with school,and jobs, and a 15 month old running around like a crazy -man all the time, blogging has taken a backseat! Thanks to those of you that have lingered around during my non-blogging this year. I am resolving to start back up because it is something I really enjoy. I have some announcements coming up in the new year. I have been blessed with some great opportunities this year and I am embarking on some scary ventures, but I am hoping that it will all work out! I know it will... I just have no clue as to how!
I leave you with an outtake from our holiday cards!!

my baby is one!!!

2010-10-18T18:18:00.000-07:00

Luke turned ONE at the beginning of Sept! I am really behind on this blog! I wanted to share a few of the highlights from his very first party!!!

Luke gets a haircut!

2010-07-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Tea for Two!

2010-07-22T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Luke had his VERY FIRST PLAYDATE!!! It was so much fun to watch him interact with Ms. Emma (isn't she so cute?!) The mommies had some much needed conversation and a yummy lunch with a Great dessert and the babies played. Here is a sweet picture of Luke showing Emma that the balls go in the busy ball machine! She wanted to hold onto the two that she had found and Luke couldn't stand it... he kept taking them from her and we kept secretly making sure that Emma had 2 to play with. Emma brought over her Dora doll (which LUKE loved) and she taught Luke to say Dada (finally), and Uh-oh. We are hoping that this is the beginning of many sweet afternoons for these two!

Why Didn't You Tell Me Wednesday?

2010-07-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Why didn't you tell me that I WOULD NEVER SLEEP AGAIN!?

I talked to Mamaw this morning (it is her Birthday) and we always have the best conversations! She is so fun and she is so chatty. I love to ask her about things from her past. Today we were talking about all sorts of things and we somehow got around to talking about the lack of sleep a mom endures with a baby. This was fresh in my mind because we had a rough night around here. When Luke was a newborn, he SLEPT! Then all of a sudden he started waking and wanting to be fed every 1.5 hours.... Then he started sleeping for a good stretch at night. He had his first cold around Christmas and it has been a battle ever since. Today he woke up at 5:45AM after a long, long night. Around 1AM he wanted to PLAY!!! I thought I would lose my mind. Mamaw laughed and told me about one of her sons who would not sleep in anything but his "buggy" and when she would nod off and stop rocking the "buggy" he would wake up "wailing".

Anyway, I have just decided to accept the fact that my child is just not one that will SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT (kuddos to all of you who are blessed with children who will). We have tried all sorts of things, all sorts of methods, and it just isn't meant to be for me to sleep THROUGH THE NIGHT. It has gotten better... we definitely do not wake up ever hour anymore and for that, I am VERY thankful. I was just looking back over the past couple of years (pregnancy included) and I am amazed at how little sleep I have been able to function on. Those who know me, know that I LOVE to sleep, I always have. Ever since I was a little baby, I have just LOVED my sleep. I am not a morning person, I am a napper. I believe that when I prayed and prayed for a baby and pleaded with God that I would do just about anything, He decided that I would have to give up my sleep! ha!

A birthday!

2010-07-13T09:04:00.001-07:00

I spent my morning making THIS! It is the most chocolatey cake I could concoct. It actually turned out great considering there was no formal recipe. I just put in every type of chocolate that I could think of. The cake is a chocolate fudge box mix with dark chocolate pudding, sour cream, and Ghiradelli dark chocolate mixed in. Then I made a chocolate ganache and poured that in between each of the three layers and on the top before I iced it with Hershey's chocolate icing!

Looks like the Birthday Boy enjoyed his Chocolate OVERLOAD!

We went to lunch at Calypso Cafe in Nashville....

And then we went to the ZOO! (it was so very hot and I snuck this picture while we were waiting for our water from the concession stand)

The meerkats were one of the FEW animals that were braving the heat to hang out

After we stopped off at Phonolux, Luke passed out in the car on the way home (this was the ONLY nap he had all day!)

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to the BESTEST husband EVER!

New manual camera shoot!

2010-07-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Up until recently, I have been having horrible results with the manual settings on my camera. I have been practicing every day lately. Well yesterday, Luke went over to the window and it was so cute and I quickly grabbed my camera and ta-da!!! I think it turned out awesome. I shot with low ISO and my 50mm fixed lens (which I am trying to use more often now).

Fun Friday....

2010-07-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

Not much going on over here today except for the fact that tonight is PAPA MURPHY's night and I am so super excited!!! I wanted to share a few recent pictures of Luke! Hope you have a great weekend!

Things I love Thursdays....

2010-07-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have the worst time keeping my stainless steel sink all nice and shiny. I am constantly wiping it clean and scrubbing it with a sponge, but a few weeks ago I picked up some of this stuff and let me tell you, it is SO AMAZING. It smells great and my sink is so shiny that I can see myself in it!

Why Didn't You Tell Me Wednesday?

2010-07-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

Why didn't you tell me....

...that one day, I would wake up and realize that MY THIGHS touch. (and NO, that is not me in the above picture)... It is driving me bananas. If it were fall and I were to somehow get myself into my corduroy pants, I think that the friction from walking out of the house to my car would land me in the E.R. because I would have started a fire and obtained serious burns.
Granted, this business did not just start overnight, as much as I would like to think that the "extra baby weight" around my middle has migrated down to my thighs due to mother nature's evil sense of humor and some help from gravity, I blame nursing and my constant hunger during that time!
I have since started working out (last week) and I have greatly modified my eating habits. I am hoping that I will be back to "normal" again in a few months. In the meantime, all of my lounge pants seem to be generating large amounts of pilling in the upper thigh section-- they will probably not last much longer without some intervention. Wish me luck!

Why didn't you tell me Wednesday?

2010-06-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Okay.... so pardon me for the LONG pause between these posts, but I have a renewed sense of things and I hope to stay on top of this (at least for a little while)....
...now on to the post....

Why didn't you tell me that some days, my baby would be on a mission.... he would have one goal to achieve, and it would involve three stealthy maneuvers.... he is locked on accomplishing what I have come to fear.... The Baby Trifecta

The Baby Trifecta can come in multiple combinations or in some rare instances it has happened all in one horrible changing table session. I am talking about the horror of not only being peed on, puked on, or pooped on.... but having them ALL happen at once.... all in the same day. Believe me, they have all magically happened at the same surreal moment!!

Memorial Day quick trip

2010-06-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

so we took a quick trip to visit my SIL, she made the BEST stuff....
dirty snowballs (in the summer!!!)

it was this guy's birthday!

Luke LOVES his Aunt Babs

Noahie loves his swimming pool....

Why didn't you tell me Wednesday?

2010-04-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Okay people... It is one thing for somebody in the house to get sick with a stomach virus, but it is a whole "nother, nother" when your husband starts off your blissful weekend puking and then by Saturday night you have a projectile vomiting (almost) 8 month old with his millionth poop-leaking diaper! Several thoughts were running through my head this weekend in no particular order:

1. food poisoning... I think NOT
2. HOW MANY times can I change a diaper and clothing and the changing table!
3. will I have enough baby wipes and diapers to make it through?
4. HELP!!
5. I hope I don't get sick....
6. Great, TORNADO warnings and golf ball sized hail
7. yuck, more trips to the washing machine
8. Please don't poop/puke on me
9. HELP!!
10. OMGoodness, I just stepped in POOP at 3 am walking back to the nursery? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
11. When is this all going to end? Surely there is NOTHING left in there?
12. I have run out of all matching pjs and I frankly don't care, let's just see what is left that isn't in the washer/dryer
13. HELP!!

I hope your weekend was better than mine! Thankfully, Josh is better (he now has back problems from being banished to the couch and still cannot really help with Luke, heck, he can barely walk) and Luke is steadily getting better, although the poo issues are still around (geez)!

we interrupt the silence

2010-04-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

...to share a few pictures....
Luke and I enjoyed one of the beautiful days we have been having recently. He was so funny on his blanket out in the yard. He kept picking it up to see what the funny green "carpet" was underneath. Unfortunately, I needed to be on a blanket too because while I was on my stomach grabbing these shots, I also picked up a rash from the grass!! Enjoy...

What a difference an hour makes!

2010-03-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

I am guessing that I am not the only momma out there that thinks the time-change is phooey.... Our schedule has been so out of whack today! We went to bed early, woke up SUPER early, took a 1.5 hour nap and are now working on another nap! Poor Luke's biological alarm clock needs some adjusting and I am zonked! He has started getting up really early (as of last week) and now with the time change, we are not functioning very well! Hope we can get in the swing of things again soon.

Any tips out there?

Terrific Tuesday!!

2010-03-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Although rain is headed our way, my heart is happy. Why?.... because of my baby bubba! We are getting up earlier these days and we are recovering from a terrible cold, but we keep a song in our heart and a smile on our faces (most of the time)! Hope you have a wonderful day!

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

2010-02-17T11:19:00.001-08:00

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....

2010-02-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-02-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

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....?

2010-02-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

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!!

2010-02-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

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!!

HELP!

2010-01-04T12:27:00.001-08:00

Okay, So I am updating my blog... new year, new layout... I downloaded this cute background from Shabby Blogs and I cannot figure out how to customize my header with a picture and the name of my blog.... Is there anyone out there that can help me??? Please leave me a comment... THANKS in advance!!!

3 month update...

2009-12-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

boy am I behind... soon little Luke will be 4 months old! Here are some of the highlights of month 3!

Luke goes to Birmingham!

2009-11-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Lots of stuff has happened! Luke turned 2 months old, got his first shots, had his first fever, took his first tylenol, packed his first travel bag, took his first trip, spent his first night away from home, attended his first wedding, had his first (early) Thanksgiving, and met lots of family for the FIRST time!! We had a blast.... here are some of the highlights!

Luke is 8 weeks old!!!

2009-10-30T17:45:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of baby luke.... he is 8 weeks old today!!!

We are alive...

2009-10-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update y'all... We are okay, just busy and sleep-deprived.... every time I think I will update my blog, I decide that I would rather sleep.... I promise to post soon.

Baby Luke is ONE month old!

2009-10-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Blogland.... Baby Luke is already a whole MONTH old!!! ACK! Where is the time flying off to? Josh and I are going to borrow this idea from Lindsey and take a picture each month to post and keep for my scrapbook....

3 weeks and 30 years

2009-09-25T15:21:00.001-07:00

Today I turned 30 and baby Luke turned 3 weeks old!!

We are celebrating at home with some take-out and a sweet birthday cake that says

"Happy Birthday MOM" ahhh!!

I am 2 weeks old....

2009-09-19T02:04:00.000-07:00

Luke went to the pediatrician today and now weighs 8lbs. 13oz.!!! We are so excited because he had lost so much weight in his first week. We were going to the doctor pretty much on a daily basis so that they could weigh him and check his jaundice. We had not been to the doctor for a week and he had gained nearly a whole pound!!! I knew his little face was looking fuller! Here are some pictures from his 2 week birthday!!

New Arrival!!!

2009-09-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Luke Owen born 9/04/09 at 5.25pm... 7lbs 14oz, 21.5 inches

Welcome to blogland baby...

What do these have in common?

2009-09-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

We are all past our "good through" date!!! HELP!!!

40 week update

2009-08-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a mess.... I had consistent contractions for roughly 5 hours. They were 10 minutes apart. Magically they just stopped! We called the doc and they said to drink water and if the contractions resumed, to head to hospital. So, we went to Olive Garden, then TJMaxx (to walk) and wow.... contractions resumed. We headed home, grabbed our stuff and headed to the hospital. After 3 hours there (one of which was spent walking the halls) we were sent home.... FRUSTRATION!!!
Today is the actual due date.... so we will wait... and hope....

For Luke....

2009-08-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am no longer anxiously awaiting your arrival... I am just going about my day, doing laundry, taking naps, watching TV.... you just come out when you want (because that is what you are going to do anyway....)

39 weeks!

2009-08-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

I totally did not expect to still be expecting at this point, but here I am. I don't think "The Bump" has grown any this week really. I think that the only obvious thing that has grown has been my desire for the baby to JUST-GET-HERE! Well, enjoy your weekends, we are having really nice weather so Josh and I are going to go out for a little bit!

Frustration ensues...

2009-08-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

this is the current state of my life....

Pot Watching?

2009-08-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

Went to the doctor.... and yet again... not much going on. I feel like the little stick person in the cartoon (but with a much larger mid-section)!

38 week blahs...

2009-08-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Okay so Laini is going nuts wanting to see "THE BUMP" (that will not go away). So here is "THE BUMP" in all it's glory at 38 weeks!

Waiting.....

2009-08-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor today.... and I have NOTHING to report.... blah.... This kid is going to stay in there FOREVER!!!

A baby shower for Josh and Luke!

2009-08-08T17:58:00.001-07:00

Josh's staff is so very nice! They threw him a surprise baby shower today. Josh went into work early and was surprised to find his staff there early too! He walked in on their setup of the baby shower. I got a text and later a phone call to be at the branch after they closed at 1pm. Talk about last minute.... I had to find something to wear! I managed to be there on time. The ladies had each prepared a dish, so we had a potluck lunch and cake. They gave Josh some coffee so he can stay awake for the baby, a TrueBlood box set of the first season so he can catch up with Luke (not sure if I want little bubba watching this), a book called "On the Night You Were Born", and a generous gift card to Babies R Us! We had so much fun at the party!!! Thank you all!

36 weeks and 2 days....

2009-08-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Went to the doctor today... Luke is in position, but is not going anywhere.... I am back home with my feet up and browsing blogland! We are waiting for Josh to get home... I made a yummy roast for him because he was so busy today he didn't get to eat his lunch! (this picture was from Mamaw's yard when I went to visit the one last time....)

Noah Turns 2!!

2009-08-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

A party was held today

for almost 2 year old Noah Gray.

We got up early and left the house

to attend the party with a mouse?

To Chuck E. Cheese we drove today

for pizza, cake, and games to play.

So enjoy your weekend, mine is done....

I was overloaded with travel and fun!

Nature for dinner

2009-07-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight I really wanted some Tuna Helper. I went to the pantry to grab the box and THERE WASN'T ONE!! I didn't really have a backup plan so I decided to improvise a tuna noodle casserole. It was edible, but not the greatest thing ever. I think that God took pity on me and since my food wasn't so great, He gave me a beautiful group of visitors to watch while I ate. I had two doves and a hummingbird ALL IN ONE SHOT!!! I apologize for the shot being through the back door, but I didn't want to scare away my tiny diners!

Baby update...

2009-07-27T17:10:00.001-07:00

Today I went to the doctor... It was a regular scheduled appointment. I was very thankful that I had the appointment today because I have been feeling really fatigued and sometimes I feel as if I am so lightheaded that I am going to pass out. On top of all of that, Luke was awfully still this morning. He is usually so active that I never get a break!! I got up, made my breakfast, and then after an hour I went back to bed. I got up in time to make lunch and get ready and then go to my appointment. The whole time that I was in the waiting room, guess who decided that it was time to start wiggling around like he was being chased by something?! After a very long wait, we made it back to the exam room. I told my doctor how awful I have been feeling and she said that it could be just "the end of pregnancy" but that she wanted to do blood work to make sure it wasn't anything else. She also confirmed that it looked as though the baby had "dropped" (yes, Dana and Casey, you were right). I also found out wonderful news that they do not try to stop labor after 36 weeks (which we will be on Saturday)! I have now switched to weekly doctor appointments. Hopefully this will be a better week... sorry for my lack of posts.

In bloom

2009-07-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

I was so excited today!!! I have this little plant that I have just loved for several years. I purchased it when I lived in Baton Rouge. Thanks to the extremely warm climate, it lived year-round. Since moving to Clarksville, most every plant I brought with me died. I thought my pink purslane was no exception.... I had good intentions when I brought it inside as the weather turned cold, but I forgot to water it after I became pregnant. When we were cleaning out the bedroom to make it into a nursery, I just stuck the pot outside. Well.... IT BLOOMED TODAY!!! I used to love to watch this plant each day. Buds on this plant only bloom on a sunny day and the bloom(s) only last that ONE day! It is such a delicate reminder of how short a life can be, but also how beautiful! Enjoy my bloom!

Nashville Baby Shower!

2009-07-20T14:43:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from my Nashville baby shower! This shower was hosted by my friend Laurie and held at the West End Maggiano's!! We had such a good time. It was good company, really good food, and a great time! My SIL came in from Jackson, TN... my sister and my nanny came in from Birmingham... friends travelled all the way from Baton Rouge, Clarksville, and Murfreesboro!! It was so nice to see everyone and of course, Luke got LOTS of stuff!!!

Show us where you live: Entryway

2009-07-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

The final segment of the house tour over at Kelly's Korner is for the entryway... here is mine.... this post also has some pictures of the house decked out for Josh's 30th birthday this weekend! Enjoy! The hall chest is from Rooms to Go, purchased about 6 years ago. The painting is from an estate sale that Josh and I went to when we were first married. I have had the lamp for as long as I have had the chest, cannot remember where it came from.
To the right of the chest are the stairs leading into the main living area.... and Dante.

the week ends, the week begins...

2009-07-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Busy times here! We have been fairly busy. Hopefully I can sum up and then get back on my regular schedule... Bullet points are your friend:

* we have ripped up all the landscaping at the front of the house, we are currently trying to fill in with dirt and hopefully we can get some new plants in there next weekend (this is why I did NOT participate in the Friday home tour, b/c my yard is a wreck

* we went to our first prenatal class on Thursday! Class was supposed to last from 7pm-9pm but it ran late!! We did not leave the hospital until 9:30pm!! Yikes! We did learn about the actual stay and we got a tour of the labor and delivery floor. I was happy to learn that the hospital encourages "rooming-in" so the baby gets to spend the majority of his time in the room with me!

* Friday I fought the craziness at Wal-Mart to grab some groceries to make some stuff to take over to the cookout that we were invited to over at Dana's. Wal-Mart was so nuts that I thought I was going to lose my mind and only managed to grab the ingredients I needed and a few more items, mostly frozen Popsicle type things... I think I was hot and thirsty! I bought Jello Pudding Pops, Edy's frozen strawberry bars, and some of those ice-pop things....

* Saturday we drove to Nashville to meet up with my cousin, her family, her parents! I have not seen my Aunt and Uncle in close to 10 years!! They got to meet Josh and I think that it was so wonderful to see them again and that the whole visit was so awesome!

* Saturday evening my sister and her friend drove in from Birmingham!!! I have been wanting her to visit forever!! She went to the cookout with us and then we ended up escaping the rain while playing Wii and waiting for the fireworks to start!!

* Sunday we all slept in, had Jersey Mikes, went to the Mall, and then we went for pizza at Old Chicago!

* My sister left today and Josh went to work, so I took the time to put my feet up to work on reducing some of my again-formed cankles!! :(

A tiny masked family!

2009-06-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

Here is what I have been stalking! I knew that there was a raccoon outside yesterday... I soon found out it was a little family!! I saw them again this evening and when I went outside a little while ago, the mom and her 4 babies were in the yard!! I didn't get too close, so sorry for the picture quality.

Since we moved from Baton Rouge, I have really missed all of the squirrels in our yard. I wanted some animals to watch. I sure got my wish! Yesterday we saw the one raccoon and then a small brown rabbit. Today I had the raccoon sightings, then the full blown family visit, the brown rabbit was over in the right side of the yard, and I also saw 2 hummingbirds!! YAY!

Show us where you live: Master Bedroom!

2009-06-26T09:55:00.001-07:00

You know the drill... it's Friday and the house tour is on at Kelly's Korner! This week it is the Master Bedroom! I love this room in our house! It has cathedral ceilings, even in the bathroom! I tried to use a calming color scheme in here...

This is the view from the hallway into the room

Looking in while actually standing in the doorway.

Josh and I have different nightstands. He purchased this bed soon after we met, as a bachelor, he decided he only needed one bedside table. I am glad he didn't buy two because I don't like everything to be matchy-matchy. His side is the one with the dark wood and the books, mine has the dainty table with a picture of us from our trip to Jamaica!

I am normally not in favor of the TV in the bedroom, but as ya'll know, I was so sick for many months at the beginning of my pregnancy and Josh took some of our tax refund and bought me this little TV. It has a built in DVD player, so we have managed to watch the ENTIRE Star Wars series after we decided to name the baby Luke! ha... The settee beneath is one of my FAVORITE pieces of furniture, ever! We have "sir Charles" the butler waiting on us 24/7 . No home photos are complete without a doggie... there is Dante!

This is the view to the left when you walk in. I am very proud of the picture grouping! I hung it one night and I LOVE IT!
All Half-off at the Hobby Lobby and the ornamental piece was part of their 66% off groupings! yay!

This is the master bathroom (my bathroom). We have those tall base cabinets, so I don't feel like a giant and there is a builder-version-chandelier... I plan on eventually changing that out with something more me.

Here is another view... It has the TALL ceilings too! I love them. I wish my bathroom was just a little bigger though. I think they did a good job with the space by utilizing the ceiling heights. That door next to the potty goes into my closet/linen closet.

Again, thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a GREAT weekend. Please leave me a comment... I love 'em!

To Mamaw's house we go... one last time!

2009-06-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of Mamaw's house.... I walked in and it was all empty! Since Josh was not able to go, I took some pictures of things in the backyard where he spent his childhood... and a sleepytime picture of Dante! (he loves warm sheets from the dryer and dives in to drown himself!)
I am tired after my drive, so I didn't really feel much like a post, but wanted to share some really cool pictures!

My baby has a sense of humor :(

2009-06-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

So I was hoping to post some awesome 4D ultrasound pictures of Luke today, but he had other plans! We went Saturday to have the ultrasound done and he was facing my back for the majority of the time and when he did turn over, he would throw his hand up in front of his face! The lady told us that we could come back because she hated that we didn't get a good picture. We made an appointment for Tuesday at 4pm!
Today, Josh left work early and came and got me from the house to go to the 4D place. We were excited! Luke was higher up today, but so high he was squished up against the cord and there was not any room to get a good view, then he turned his back to us, and finally he turned to where we could see him BUT... he stuck BOTH hands in front of his face!
We decided that he has a sense of humor and according to Josh "the baby is so beautiful, he thinks it is worth the wait for us to see him when he is born." Ugh!

Show us where you live: Playrooms, Laundry Rooms, Bonus Rooms

2009-06-18T16:14:00.001-07:00

okay so Kelly's Korner is hosting the Friday house tour again! This week we have a plethora of options: Playrooms, Laundry Rooms, and Bonus Rooms... just so happens that all of those spaces are conveniently located together in my home! Please excuse the mess because Fridays are when I clean and last time I checked, today is Thursday, so the cleaning has not been completed!!

this is what you see when you first come downstairs... Dante is apparently your guide for this portion of the tour! (Notice the dryer sheet next to the coffee table -- courtesy of my hasty relocating of the laundry that you will see in the next picture...I thought I was being slick!)

This is the wall across from the sofa. Notice my laundry/junk reflected in the TV! Sorry. We were down here last night because of the storms, but we rarely seem to use this space. We have it set up this way for guests. The room with the baby gate is a guest room with a futon, and the other room with the door closed is my primary guest room. The open door is a full guest bath. (Oh, and that is Bailey's behind on the left, her crate is over in the corner by the TV and I guess she was going in to tidy up since mama was taking pictures!)

This is the wall that you would see if you were sitting on the couch and looking to the right. You took those stairs to get down here. The first door is my "secret room" or MY PLAYROOM, the door to the right is my laundry room, and the door way to the right goes out to the garage!

So, you chose DOOR #1!! This is my favorite spot in the whole house! Most people do not know that it is even here. They just assume it is a closet! My nephews have no idea that it exists and my SIL and I are always joking about how we need to go hide in the secret room when she visits!

Up close look at my play table! This is where I create and HIDE!

I have so much stuff in here! I got these ITSO storage cubes from Target. They hold almost ALL of my hobbies!

I wanted you to see that even Dante has a little spot in mama's secret room.

This sign is hilarious, but sadly, not true! I love to do laundry! I just got a new washing machine a few weeks ago! I think the sign came from Hobby Lobby.

My kinda weird laundry room. It looked so much bigger when the appliances were not in there. What laundry room has NO OUTLETS in it!? We have to plug our iron in that outlet OUTSIDE the room and then close the door to let down our ironing board that hangs on the door!

So, since this room got he hodge-podge of all the storage baskets we had in random spots over the years, I have fabric to make a little curtain for this bookshelf and to make a little window treatment. Alas... unfinished projects!!!!

Thank you for stopping by!

Birmingham Baby Shower

2009-06-14T18:48:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures, FINALLY, from my Birmingham Baby Shower! My hostess was my "bestest" friend, Laini! (We have been inseparable since we were 4 years old!) She did such a wonderful job, she thought of the smallest detail. I uploaded many pictures, but it just did not do it justice. I had such a great time seeing everyone and just being back home! Thank you Laini! XOXO

Whew! All done! I got so many wonderful things!! Luke is so blessed to be loved by so many!

Yucky

2009-06-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here is what made my afternoon so gross! I thought I would take a picture of it in ALL it's glory! I had to take my glucose tolerance test today. This was just a routine test, with a lot of grief attached to it. First, I have been waking up a lot later this week, and I didn't realize that not only did I need to time my drinking of this vile junk, I also could not eat 2 hours prior to the drinking. I woke up after 10am and had my pop-tarts and then when I actually figured out my timeline, I had to eat again by no later than noon. I got to work making some egg salad sandwiches and forced myself to eat one. I was done with it by 12:30pm and was so worn out that I had to take a nap! I have been really tired this week!! I have napped and slept late every day.
My appt was at 3:2opm, but since I drank the yuckness at 2:30, they needed to take blood at 3:30pm. It worked out perfectly because they drew blood while I was waiting to be called back for my appointment. I love my doctor!! She said that she was not worried about the glucose test because I have stayed in really good shape throughout my pregnancy. She said that they would call within a few days only if there was a problem, otherwise I would talk about the results at my next appointment in 3 weeks. I am not worried. I just keep having flashbacks to that orange junk. I think that my experience would not have been so bad except for I have not had a soda for 2 years and then I had to drink the equivalent of a flat one! GROSS....
I am going to try to figure out how to post more than 5 pictures to a post tomorrow so that I can share some of my baby shower!!!

Cankles and Leg Cramps!

2009-06-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is a pity post because I just realized that there have been no posts from me in 5 days!?! So sorry! Currently you can envision that I am in a GIANT tshirt, in the bed with my laptop on my lap and my feet elevated! I have really swollen feet/ankles and as if that was not enough, I have already had 2 leg cramps in the past hour! All of this is the result of my wonderful Birmingham baby shower!! I had so much fun and I will post all the goodness tomorrow! Thanks for hanging in there with me and wish me luck with my legs!

Baby nursery wreath!

2009-06-02T14:03:00.001-07:00

So blog-fans... This magnificent wreath is what I have been working on! It took me more fabric and more time than I thought, but I think it turned out super cute. I wanted a cute wreath to hang on my hospital door at Luke's birth and I wanted something that I could bring home and actually keep! I searched high and low and all I found were diaper wreaths and I wasn't too keen on them, so I made my own out of strips of fabric! I added a couple of little items tucked away in the wreath and will probably add little mementos as I find them. I plan on opening up an etsy store soon to be able to sell these. I think they would be wonderful shower presents! I am excited to make a pink girly one!

Baby bumps and such

2009-06-01T19:05:00.001-07:00

Here I am at 27 weeks on 5.30.09!! I am sorry I have not uploaded any pictures of me. I am usually on the OTHER end of the camera! :)
Dante checking out Mama's new bump!

My two nerds today at lunch... Dante sits on top of Bailey because she is warm. He just does it to steal her body heat!

Today I slept ridiculously late. Normally I wake up when Josh is leaving for work, but he said I did not even stir. Usually I stay in bed for a little bit and he lets Bailey run around while I snooze. He left Bailey in her crate this morning because he figured I was really tired! How did he know!? Anyway, Josh came home for lunch. I made him tuna salad, so we had sandwiches. I went out later this afternoon and had a cup of TCBY. I have been trying to finish up Luke's rag wreath tonight. I hope to have pictures up of it tomorrow!

Luke's Nursery... work in progress STILL

2009-05-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

So it is "Show us where you live Friday: Children's Rooms and Nurseries" Here is our nursery-in-progress...
This is the view as you are approaching Luke's nursery. We have many curious animals and I had to come up with a creative way to keep them out without keeping the door shut at all times.... SCREEN DOOR! Woo hoo! Now they can all gather and watch!

This is just inside the door. I am still trying to decide if I actually like the rug. It ended up being too big for the room, so I turned it this way and stuck it under the crib.

I was browsing the mall and found these metal safari animals at Kirkland's. I used the leftover paint from the room to outline each of the frames.

This is the inside of the secretary that we are using for the baby stuff. He has lots of tiny shoes and socks so far. Each of the drawers holds important items. He has quite a collection of pacis and bibs already!

This is the secretary closed up. It was a wedding present from my Nanny. It has always been displayed prominently in all of our homes. It weighs a ton (literally)! We have never actually "used" it for anything other than storage. We thought it would be very special to use it for our first baby. As soon as Luke is able to bring harm to it, it will move to my room as a home for my laptop! We are waiting to purchase a glider to go somewhere on this wall. I painted the little wall hook thing and my friend Lindsey found this super-cute onesie on Etsy and I immediately purchased it.

I posted some pictures at the beginning of my blog of Luke's room so far. We have since decided to do some updating and I am glad to share them with you courtesy of Kelly's Korner. I still have to make the valence for his window and add the rickrack and trim to his crib skirt. I haven't found the right fabric just yet for the rest of the window treatments! Check back again when I post the finished nursery!

What are the odds!?!

2009-05-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Went out to lunch with Josh today! When I was done with lunch, I headed over to.... surprise, Hobby Lobby to pick up some ribbon for the presents I am making. When I got home I decided to clean out my craft room because all of the things that had been taken out of the misplaced boxes that were stored in what is now Luke's room were now piled in my craft room (whew what a long sentence)! I have been itching to get back to my room since I had not been able to hang out down there since becoming pregnant. Well, I cleaned out my room and then decided as a reward that I would go to TJmaxx and get the Waverly bin I saw yesterday! With my purchase in hand, I headed out to my car and for the SECOND time in my ENTIRE life..... was pooped on by a passing bird!

Cherish

2009-05-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

I am taking it easier than usual today. It was raining some this morning so I took time to snap a few pictures with my new camera. I am hoping to take a photography class next month! The first pictures are the pots of petunias that are currently sitting patiently on my back porch. They want to be re potted into my nice pots, but I just haven't done it yet. The next picture is of a figurine that I have wanted to have for a long while. My doctor has it in her office too. It is from the Willow Tree and it is named "cherish." I put it next to the picture I have framed of Luke. I am truly blessed to have him and cannot wait for him to arrive in August! I go in his nursery every day and just picture him in his crib. Of course, I go in his nursery a million times a day because I am working on all sorts of stuff in there! You will see the progress in a few days!

(umm, I have noticed that in a lot of my posts, blogger decides to rearrange my pictures. I write about them in one order and they pop up in another! argh!)

Memories and Memorial Day

2009-05-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

Josh and his sister, Karen (mother of "the boys")
Noah-bug

My almost 7-year-old-Caleb

My precious nephews (aka "the boys") came to visit us today on their way to DisneyWorld for an 8 day trip!! Since the older one (Caleb) will have a birthday while he is in Florida, we decided to have a birthday party bash here! We had a Star Wars cake, complete with working light sabers! We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and had all the trimmings. Mom and dad came down from Paducah to join in on the party. Caleb wanted to have hair dye for his birthday present and so he has been reapplying temporary hair dye since school let out! Baby Noah is on his way to being such a big boy. He is talking up a storm and wanted to watch Dora! He will not be two until August. They brought us lots of good hand-me-downs and I will be excited to look through them tomorrow. Tonight, I am just resting on the couch while Josh plays Resident Evil and my laundry (which I was behind on due to the previous malfunctions) gets "squeaky clean."

some favorite things...?

2009-05-24T20:59:00.001-07:00

So, I HEART TCBY! I could eat it after every meal, including breakfast. I also love my new washing machine. It is sleek, tells me how long it will take for my clothes to be squeaky clean, has 4.5 cu ft of space, and it is stainless steel inside!! oooh, aah! I had to buy a new washer after mine decided to die on Friday night. He had been sick for a while. He started acting funky while we were in Baton Rouge. When we moved to Clarksville, he started making "the noise." Friday night he threw up all over the laundry room floor. It was time to cut the cord! We were not really planning on buying the washer immediately, but a nauseous machine is not a good machine to have. We went to Lowe's, Sears, Home Depot, and back to Lowe's. They are having a sale and in addition to the 10% off this weekend, you could get an extra 10% off for buying a high efficiency machine. SOLD! They also were offering a rebate for free delivery. They hauled the old machine off at no charge. I would have gladly paid for the delivery because it saved me from having to get Josh to take the door off the laundry room, remove the dryer, remove the old washer, install the new one and then have to put everything back! The guys from Lowe's were awesome! They were here promptly at 1:30pm and had everything up and running in no time! Overall, I am very happy! The last picture is a happy Bailey, because her mama is happy!

Show us where you live: Dining Room

2009-05-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

So Kelly's Korner is having the Dining Room as the featured room this week! Here is mine. I even set the table since I knew you would be stopping by! (Please forgive me, the pictures are out of order! argh)This is on of my favorite pieces of furniture. It was Josh's paternal Grandmother's. Grandmama Dolly's pictures are sitting on top of the buffet. It is well over a hundred years old! She had stripped the finish off at some point and was going to refinish it, but the wood ended up with this wonderful patina anyway. I love to run my hand over the top of it... it is so smooth. I can just picture her every time I get to use my buffet for family gatherings.

This is what it looks like if you stand in the second archway opening and look into the dining room. My table is another favorite. It was the first piece of furniture that Josh and I purchased together for our first home. I love the chunky legs of the dining table. We only have 5 chairs because one of them did not survive living in Baton Rouge. I have ordered a bench and I am patiently waiting for it to arrive.

We have the buffet from Josh's paternal grandmother and we have this chandelier from Josh's maternal grandmother. Mamaw had this chandelier hanging in her home for many years. Josh's granddaddy purchased it for her on layaway (how sweet). When Mamaw moved into the nursing home and was talking about putting her house up for sale, I finally got up he nerve to ask if we could have the chandelier. Obviously she said yes and I love looking at this and feel so honored to have it in my home. Every holiday the chandelier gets dressed up. Stay tuned... my favorite look is the Halloween one!

This is the view from the first archway. It looks kinda dark, I tried to lighten up the pictures.

This is the view from the staircase. That cutout from the first picture overlooks the stairs coming into the main floor of the house. So, if you are coming through the front door, up into the living room and your turn your head to the left, you will get a sneak peek of the table and goodies that I have waiting for you! Stop by anytime!

The rest of my sofa?

2009-05-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Okay loyal Blog Fans... What have I been up to that prevented me from posting for 2 days? Window treatments (or rather mistreatments) have been occupying my time! I finished this one today. It is the EXACT same fabric as my favorite sofa! I bought my sofa in Baton Rouge and I found this fabric in Clarksville!!! Wow! I also bought some fabric to finish up the window treatments for Luke's room and to redo the windows in the LR and DR. If I have enough left over, I am going to redo the seats to this bistro set as well. Hancocks is having a pretty giant sale. All decorator fabrics are 40% off and they have these remnant bolts that are marked down to 5.99 and 4.99 a yard!
Today I went to the doctor. I have gained another 3 pounds! That puts the running total for the pregnancy at 4 pounds! My doctor was happy that I have started gaining now. I am at 25 weeks for those of you wondering. I have to go back in 3 weeks to take a glucose tolerance test... sounds yucky.

Painting and grilling

2009-05-17T17:18:00.001-07:00

Yikes, no post since Friday! It seems that the trend here is to post every two days! Sorry loyal followers... Yesterday I taped off the chair rail portion of Luke's room. Josh painted. Today I taped off the two horizontal stripes that are at the top of the room and Josh is currently painting them! I will post some pictures soon. I finally found a rug online and it should be delivered this week (I hope). Okay Lindsey, I told you a story b/c I still have not posted pics of my guest room. I will this week. I am glad that Kelly posted the schedule for the remaining rooms so I can actually be on top of things! Alrighty, well I am going to see if I can grill some hot dogs in the nice cold weather that we are having tonight. When I planned on grilling, I also planned on the high being higher than 66. Who knows what it is like now since the sun is going down! Wish me luck!

Banana Pudding Pie is to blame

2009-05-15T18:04:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know I am supposed to be posting my guest bedroom for Kelly's Korner tonight, but I just cannot. A banana pudding pie has officially kicked my booty. I did not go to the graduation tonight at the urging of Mom and my SIL. They were supposed to have storms in addition to the other issues I was having with the trip and they asked if it would hurt my feelings to stay home. I thought that by NOT going, I would be hurting their feelings... so I stayed home.

The pie, the pie.... No, I did not eat the WHOLE pie. I am only eating a small piece now. It was the MAKING of the pie that did me in! This is a complicated thing to concoct. It took all sorts of bowls and all of my measuring spoons and a real vanilla bean pod! (Josh said that "it took a whole dishwasher full of dishes to make it). Thank goodness I knew what to do with some of the weird parts of the recipe courtesy of the white chocolate bread pudding I make! Anyway, Josh LOVES banana pudding and I thought this would be such a nice surprise to end his week. I got the recipe out of the May 2009 Country Living magazine. It is really, really good. It tastes like breyers vanilla bean ice cream! Here is the LINK

Fabulous Finials

2009-05-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to an antique store here in Clarksville and I found these fabulous finials. They are now proudly displayed in my bedroom! I am using them as curtain tie backs! Every time you look at them, it seems that you find a different color scheme. No matter what angle, they STILL match my quilt!!

Today I found my little cat, Thumbelina a new cover for her bed. I found a pillow sham made of the same fabrics in my quilt, just in a different layout! It is super cute. I will post pics of this when Kelly spotlights Master Bedrooms, I guess.

Tonight I find myself in a dilemma. One of my SILs is having a a ceremony for her associates degree commencement in Paducah on Friday. It is 1.5 hours away. I would have to leave around rush hour to get there for the ceremony at 7 pm. Josh is unable to go with me because of his work schedule. I am wondering how long the ceremony will last and what time I will be getting back on the road to drive 1.5 hours BACK home. I hate to NOT go, but I am wondering if it is a smart option... I would love comments, thoughts, etc. I have a couple of days to decide...

Thanks!

A productive day...

2009-05-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

A productive Monday?! Yes, I know... sounds impossible! I managed to get the last of the dishes done, wash all of the towels, find a rug that I can live with for the living room, and make a nice dinner! Tomorrow I am hoping to actually make the valence for my bathroom after I run up to the fabric store. I will obviously keep you posted. It is way too late tonight for a picture of the new rug, or for me to be blogging. I did get to start catching up with an old friend online tonight. I am so thankful that we are back in touch! You should check out her blog "The Pilstons"... She now has two followers!

Mother's Day Tea

2009-05-10T15:18:00.001-07:00

This is my FIRST mother's day present from baby Luke!!! He has such good taste!

Dad looking at pictures that I stuck in Mom's card.

Mom and Dad

Josh and Mom

Josh's grandmother's buffet that we have inherited. (that is her picture on the left) I set up the tea on here. Josh bought the flowers this afternoon.

Today was the Mother's Day Tea. Only 2 of us drank "the tea" and 2 of us had iced tea. I am glad I made it as a backup! I made egg salad sandwiches, dark chocolate brownies,and blueberry cheesecake muffins. I did not make the pepperidge farm cookies or the double chocolate cookies. I had two types of tea: Earl Grey (which Dad tried) and Chai (which is my fav). All in all, it was a nice afternoon. I am tired now and working on washing up the dishes... maybe I will have another cup of tea while I work!

Living room pictures!

2009-05-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

So I have a split foyer, and some weird openings.... this is pretty much the only arrangement that works for the space. I LOVE my sofa, it looks lumpy b/c it is filled with DOWN! It is the best place in the house for a nice nap. I spent about 4 months recently living on the sofa b/c I was so very sick with my pregnancy.

This is what you see across from the sofa. I love curling up in my lounge. That bin beside it is the "doggy toy box" and the wicker object in the floor is Dante's house.

Here is a better picture of Dante's house (complete with Dante). He loves his house and takes every opportunity to go inside and curl up in his super-comfy bed. His house is great, the flap on the side lifts up to reveal "attic storage." We keep doggie treats and clothes in the attic of his house.
p.s. Dante's house was purchased from GrandinRoad

Here is a better shot of my NEW bookcase! Since my walls are so weird, I didn't think that a picture would look right. I hung the clock instead. This view shows my little eat in kitchen area. Notice that the curtains are wrapped on the rod. Fred, our kitten is fascinated with "hiding" in them and then running at lightning speed. In order to save my curtains, they have been up like this for several months. Fred will soon be declawed (the only one of my cats to have to go through this). He has destroyed several areas of carpet already! Speaking of carpet, I am planning on getting a rug for my living room. I just have NEVER found one that Josh and I can both live with.

This is the view when you come up the stairs and look to the right. One of the reasons I bought this house is because it had these arched doorways. The little statue is of a Pakistani soldier in the British Army prior to 1945. Above it hangs a picture of my great-grandfather who actually was a Pakistani soldier in the British Army! There are actually two arch openings on the left hand side that go into my dining room. The door at the end goes into my bedroom. There is an open doorway on the right that goes into the kitchen. That rack you see hanging on the wall is a great little shelf with hooks. I hang my purse and my keys there when I come home! I haven't finished up with the bookcase, I just got it today, remember?

Hi all! It has been a busy day. I keep having those lately! We went to Opry Mills today. I wanted to go to my favorite store Black Lion. Josh wanted to go to Bass Pro Shop and the Gibson store. Our original plan was to take in a movie too, but we ended up just shopping and then eating lunch. After Opry Mills, we came back to Clarksville and went over to Office Depot to pick up my new bookcase! We came home, Josh assembled the bookcase while I made brownies for Dana and we watched the first episodes of Star Trek. When brownies were cool enough (but still warm) I cut them up, and took them to Dana. She gave me a chimnea today because she was cleaning out her garage and didn't want it anymore. I have been so busy working on the house, I haven't gone outside to see it! When I came home, I vacuumed the living room (so I could take the pictures! ha) and took pictures. I hope you enjoy!

Cat scratch fever?

2009-05-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

Uggh... today I got up EARLY and took Fred to the vet for his "operation." Apparently somebody tipped him off because I now have two huge scratches on the side of my "life pod" (stomach) from trying to get my normally laid-back kitten into the car! Since I was up early, I treated myself to breakfast at McDonalds. I then went to Target, Fabric Warehouse, Hancock Fabrics (scored a $50 lamp for $15!!), and of course...Hobby Lobby! I am obsessed. After my stops, I came home to check the mail, let the dogs out and feed them, and to rest for a bit. I did not rest, instead I started re-decorating. My lunch plans were ruined because we had a very long-lasting tornado warning. I ended up having to eat leftover pizza. I guess it is better than what Josh had to do during the storm. He had to stand outside the vault at the bank on base!! He was text messaging me back and forth the whole time. A lot of complaining going on from his end as I replied in weather updates. Finally I was free to move about town and went to buy my groceries. Friday afternoons are a terrible time to have to buy groceries. I was supposed to pick up Fred after 4:15pm and at 4:31pm, I was STILL in line at Kroger. I had no phone reception and had to wait until I got to my car and unloaded all of my groceries to let the clinic know that I was running late. Fortunately the clinic closed at 5:30pm so I made it in time to pick up the little bug. Josh was home when I got home and carried Fred and all of the groceries in.
I made Shepherd's Pie for dinner tonight and Chess Pie squares for dessert. I have never made EITHER of these! The Shepherd's Pie turned out really good and I think the taste of the Chess Pie is awesome, but it needs to get more firm. I hope that it will be settled by morning because I want to take some to my friend, Dana, down the street.
My intention was to post pictures of my living room for Kelly's Korner. Again, I am behind due to all the surgery/tornado/dinner/decorating dramas of today. I do plan on posting some pictures soon for all of my friendies that haven't visited.
I guess I will go get ready for bed. Tomorrow we are planning on going to Opry Mills to see a movie at the IMAX and to shop at Black Lion (yay!).

Cinco de Mayo....

2009-05-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that I went home for my Dad's birthday, which just so happens to be on Cinco de Mayo! I got into town around 2:20pm and called in an order to Bob Sykes Bar B Q for a LARGE cheeseburger (no onions) and a regular order of fries while I was on the interstate. Bob Sykes is the best place on earth and just happens to be directly across the street from my dad's office. I grabbed my food, drove across the street and settled in to eat while waiting for my sister, Seama, to meet me. I also happened to be travelling with our gigantic cat, Woogie. Turns out he had a UTI and that explains his recent strange bathroom behaviors.
Seama and I had a few errands to run before we met over at my dad's house to go to dinner. We went to Bama Fever and I bought Luke he cutest little Alabama booties to match the little hat that Laini had bought for him. We also went in the Blue Bumblebee (very super cute) and I bought a couple of things for the house. After the two stops, Seama thought she was going to die of hunger so we went through the Chick-Fil-A drive through before heading over to Publix to pick out a cake. For those of you who have never had the joy of shopping for groceries at a Publix, I can only wish that someday you will have the pleasure. Everything there is wonderful! Fresh produce, meats... the bakery is awesome, the deli is awesome, the flowers are awesome.... the staff is so helpful and nice! I could go on and on, hopefully you get the picture.
After Publix we went to the house. I got to see Sarabi (a cat that we have had since my youngest sister was like 3, she will turn 21 this year...) Sarabi is the last of the animals from my childhood, and it is always so comforting to see her run up the driveway to greet me. I dread the day when she is no longer my little welcoming committee. So I will spare you all the drama of actually figuring out WHERE we were going to eat, but we finally ended up at an Indian restaurant called Silver Coin. I got to see one of my sisters that I have not talked to or seen in almost seven years. Despite all of that time apart, we ALL had a really fun time at dinner. We laughed till our sides hurt and we had tears rolling down our cheeks. My dad always tells the funniest stories and had some doozies for us last night! After dinner we went back to the house and cut birthday cake and then parted paths for the night. I went to stay with my Nanny.
This morning, STORMS GALORE! I waited until a little after 11am before I left her house and headed back to my dad's office. I did take a detour to HomeGoods (the home portion of TJMaxx in ONE GIANT STORE). I ended up getting several things for my special Tea Party. When I finally got to the office, Seama pulled in the parking lot right behind me. We hung out for a while, played online, I ate some lunch, she ate most of my fries, and I headed out for home. I was nervous that the weather would make my trip home a nightmare, but thank GOD that I only had a lot of clouds and some light rain. The majority of the trip was great. I even made it through rush hour traffic in Nashville without much delay!
I am so glad to be home. I love Birmingham, but there is this sense of peace when I walk into my house. As soon as I pull in the garage from a trip, Dante is standing on the other side of the garage door into the house, barking excitedly. Josh says he does not think that Dante could live without me. He has to bribe him to bed by allowing him to sleep under the covers! Dante is my little Italian Greyhound. He is one of the great loves of my life. He normally sleeps with me, but under his OWN covers! In fact, he has jumped out of bed twice already to come into the living room and give me "the look" and ask me why I am still in here pecking away at the keyboard.... coming Dante!...

Inspired!

2009-05-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at all of the kitchens on Kelly's Korner. It has inspired me to do some decorating of my own. I was too late to actually participate in the kitchen addition, as I just started my blog on on Friday, but spruced up my kitchen this afternoon. I have thought of so many ideas for things to do around the house before baby Luke gets here.
Josh asked me tonight what I wanted for Mother's Day!!! I told him that I would like a corner shelf/bakers rack for the kitchen because I need somewhere to display things (especially pictures of the new baby)! We would have gone to look tonight, but I have been feeling awful and didn't really get on with my day until 2:30pm. I was up at 4 am and watched the sun rise through the large semi-circle window in our bedroom! Not a good night, to say the least!
When I finally got out of the house, I went to Arby's for a ridiculously overpriced roast beef sandwich! They are the last fast food place out there that hasn't figured out that the economy pretty much stinks! It was the only thing that I could think of that was kind of plain. Luke does not allow me to eat chicken anymore, my options are limited. After Arby's, I went to Hobby Lobby (I know, I was JUST there on Saturday), then returned some movies for Josh, and finally got an oil change and picked up some canned food for Dante.
Tomorrow I am going to Birmingham to visit my dad for his birthday! I am thinking that we can just pick up some take-out Pakistani food, grab a cake, and have a little party at the house. I will be so tired from driving that I think that is about all I can handle. Currently my plans are to just stay Tuesday night and drive back late Wednesday afternoon/evening. I need to work on some things here at the house and get ready for a TEA PARTY! Yes, I am having a Mother's Day Tea Party for Josh's mom (herein referred to as Mom)! I thought it would be something neat to start since I am going to be a mom soon. Next year I plan to invite some friends and my SIL.
Okay, so enough blogging for tonight. I need to get a shower and get packed!

Blackberries and monograms

2009-05-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

After a morning spent on the phone with the DSL department and the regular repair department at AT&T, I was told that: 1. a DSL tech would be out here sometime between 8-12 on Monday and 2. that the phone line would be fixed sometime between "now" and 5 pm on the 5th... (Dana, who lives across the street, called and was told sometime on the 6th!)....
Realizing that having no Internet would free up a lot of my day, Josh and I decided to hang out in Clarksville for the day. We went to Jersey Mike's for lunch, TCBY for "after lunch", to Hodgepodge and Artifacts downtown, over to CD warehouse and Hastings, Hobby Lobby and finally HOME! I picked up some really cool pictures that spell out Luke's name at Artifacts. They are taken by a local artist around Clarksville. We went to Hobby Lobby to get a frame and ended up having a mat made for them. VERY CUTE! After we got home, we set up the Blackberry lifeline, and I hopped online. The Blackberry IS handy, but it is kinda like a fast dial-up at this point. I cannot check in on my Facebook FarmTown, I HAVE tried, but after like 10 minutes, it still would not load properly so I gave up.

I got offline and moved over to the Brother PE 400D... This is an embroidery sewing machine that I have borrowed from Mom. I have been trying (slowly) to teach myself to use it this week. It had been pretty simple to use until tonight! I learned the importance of using stabilizer under EVERYTHING. It took me 3 forevers to get everything all untangled and back in proper working order. I was trying to put Luke's name on a burp cloth (which I thought was thick enough to go without the stabilizer) and I ended up with a tangled mess. The needle basically got stuck and stitched the same spot 3,000 times! A serious mess. I did end up finally getting it to work, but it came out crooked because the hoop you use to hold the fabric, does not really accommodate thicker fabrics and I was lucky to even get it to stay without popping apart. DRAMA! I am thankful though for the chance to get to borrow the machine. It gives me great insight into what features to look for when I finally get my own.

2009-05-02T09:34:00.001-07:00

I get up this morning, excited to blog and what-do-you-know... The dsl is out and the tech will not be here until MONDAY! Good thing I set up this mobile capability!

2009-05-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

Luke's Room so far... (upscale safari)

So, Friday night... Rain, rain, go away? It has rained almost every day this week! Today has been the worst! Of course, Josh welcomes the rain because it means he does not have to water the sod. I would just like the sun to peek through at some point!

Josh rented a couple of movies (neither of which I want to see). I will instead search online to find some baskets for storage under Luke's changing table.

We also set the date for a Birmingham baby shower! The theme is baby blue and white with RUBBER DUCKIES!! I cannot wait! Thank you to Laini in advance for hosting at her beautiful home! I will also be having a Tennessee shower, TBA.

2009-05-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

okay, so, I did it! I created a blog! I thought this would be an awesome way for everyone to keep up with ALL of the upcoming activities in the Wooley house!! Enjoy!