Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Another surprise! Thanks Aunt Alli!

If only I could relate to you the love my little girl has for Snow White. Or as she calls her, "So Swite." When she watches her movie, she has genuine concern for her well being, screaming when So Swite is running through the woods, "Hurreee So Swite! Scary!" And when the witch tries to trick So Swite, "No, So Swite, she's mad." She also loves to sing and dance with her. She just loves her.

You can only imagine her reaction when we received a surprise package and THIS came out:


"SOOOOOOO SWIIIIIIIIIITE PWINCESS DWESS!!!!!!!!"

She then went on to lose her marbles because I couldn't get her out of her clothes quick enough to put it on. She had to do the pwincess dance after all. As seen here:


It's not a very complicated dance.

Aunt Alli also sent my little procrastinating-in-the-womb princess some of her own surprises:


Thank you so much for thinking of us, Alli! You made our day!

Especially this one:


"Mommy, Emma Tate a So Swite pwincess."

Monday, August 30, 2010

Guilt-free Crafting


Scotti at Inner Hooker is offering up two of her super cute crochet patterns to everyone who donates $5 to the Williams Family's adoption fund.


It's all to help them adopt sweet Anastasia, a child with Down's Syndrome in an eastern European orphanage.

Thanks Aunt Meghan!


How cute is this little outfit and doggy purse? I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a tough time keeping EK away from that purse... might become a mutual present (but I guess that what's being sisters is all about!).

Thank you Meghan and Allen! You're so sweet!

**********************
Puppy purse is for Emma Kate! And let me tell you, she's in love. Her and "puppy puhse" have spent every minute together. I think Hannah (our toy poodle) is happy for the break.

Trans Fat

Check out my post on trans fat over at So Maybe Mom Was Right.


Monday, August 23, 2010

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Getting ready for baby

Baby #2 is due in a couple of weeks and not much has been done in preparation for her. I'm beginning to stress out and am hoping that posting my baby to do list on here for the world to see will help to motivate me to actually do these things.

Plus I'd love to hear your feedback and ideas.

Well, first there's the nursery. Right now it's a blank slate, as in completely empty white room. Well, mostly white. There's hot pink paint on the ceiling and floor from the previous occupiers of our home. My detail-oriented brain is really struggling to ignore those marks.

Here's the nursery's inspiration:

(image belongs to Pottery Barn)

So the colors are Tiffany blue, brown, white, and pink. I love the blue walls here, so we'll most likely be painting. The white curtains and furniture are also beautiful against the blue, so that's in too. I plan on making the curtains, crib sheets, crib blanket, bumper, and crib skirt.

While I'm busy in the world of textiles, Anthony will be busy making this:

(image belongs to Knock-off Wood)

The nursery list...

*Buy and assemble crib - white (this is in progress thanks to my MawMaw)
*Buy and assemble glider - pink and white
*Build dresser/changing station - white
*Find coordinating fabrics in blue, pink, white, and brown
*Sew crib bedding
*Sew curtains
*Find a coordinating rug - pink
*Paint room - Tiffany Blue
*Figure out something for the walls... love these framed pink dresses
*Make some of these birds in white

Other to dos...

*Assemble swing
*Put car seat in the car
*Pack hospital bag
*Pack EK's overnight bag
*Sort clothes and move things under 6 mos to nursery
*Wash any new baby clothes
*Prepare a few freezer dinners for after baby is born

Alright, that's the list for now. I feel better already!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Making Bread at Home


Check out my latest post at So Maybe Mom Was Right. This is a great bread recipe!!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010

I think she's in love.

Daddy's home... in pillow form

I'm so excited to share with you what I got in the mail today.


S'te from All Ribboned Out makes these cute Remember Me Pillows for kids (and wives) of deployed service men. The idea is simple, but so sweet.

The front is a picture of Anthony from BOTC graduation and the back is a soft, minky fabric. There's also a ribbon at the bottom for easy toting around the house. I got two, one for Emma Kate and one for baby #2 coming this August (who still doesn't have a name).


Now I can't wait for Emma Kate to get up from her nap so I can surprise her!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Two.


My sweet angel is two years old today.


It's cliche, but it's amazing to me how fast children really do grow up.


Before I know it, she'll be all grown up.


But for now I'll relish in her sweet chubby cheeks.

I love you, Emma Kate!
Happy birthday, Sunshine.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

You only turn two once.

I really wanted to get the CS5 bundle. Really bad. I've been thinking about it for about 6 months now. Well, maybe less. However long I've had my DSLR camera I've been thinking about CS5 and I could have probably gotten it.

But we got this instead....
You know what, I'm okay. This little playhouse will bring years of enjoyment to my little girl and her baby sister.

Tomorrow is her 2nd birthday, and my sweetie is getting the best dang gift we could afford her. Mommy will have to just do with iPhoto and Picnik... for now.

Monday, July 12, 2010

The social worker is going to have a fun time with this one...

That's right. Social worker. I had my first OB/GYN appointment at the Naval Medical Center here and they decided to mandate me to see a social worker based on my responses to their 10-question quiz.

Let's talk about this. My appointment was at 10:00. It wasn't until 11:00 that they saw me, after I approached the desk several times wondering what was going on.

And then I'm given this quiz. All questions began with, "In the past 7 days..."

"Have you felt out of control?".... ummm... YES.

"Have you felt sad?" .... Very much YES.

"Have you cried?" .... YES. You would too if you were here! And what pregnant woman doesn't cry?

"Have you feared for your life?" .... Well, there's that whole scared someone's going to come steal my baby thing... dang Criminal Minds. But I don't think I'm crazy if I admit my fears are irrational. Right?

"Have you tried to hurt yourself?" .... No. I think I got bonus points for that.

I don't remember the rest, but you get the gist. What a perfect time for someone to give me a quiz like that. Oh well, at least I'll have someone to complain to on a regular basis.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Caution... [un]Loading Zone ahead

Okay, major venting is about to take place. If you don't like to read that kind of stuff... move on.

If I don't get all these frustrations out, I'm going to drive myself crazy. I typically have my husband to unload upon, but that's not an option so my dear 3 readers will get to take his place.
I feel like I've been putting on this fake persona of happiness and appreciation. I know I SHOULD feel this things, after all I'm healthy, my family's healthy, we're safe, we have a roof over our head and food to eat. I feel so much pressure to be happy because I don't want my husband to feel bad for me or to worry about us while he is deployed.

So many things have been bombarding me and I'm really about to just lose it. I spend almost every day fighting back tears and every night thinking that someone is plotting to break in and steal my baby (I blame that last one on too many episodes of Criminal Minds, a show I no longer watch thanks to all these irrational fears it's spawned).

I'll begin with being in Virginia. We're not supposed to be here. We're supposed to be in Mississippi. Anthony was top of his class and was the ONLY officer to NOT get his pick of station. If I were there, I'd have family 2 hours away ready to help with anything. Instead, we're here in Virginia, in a house that's falling apart around me, and with no one. To top it off, the ship Anthony's on is out to see 220 days of the year. When he was recruited, he was told he wouldn't be gone for more than 2 weeks at a time and for a total of 4 months. We're going to be in Virginia for 2 years, but we'll only have Anthony here with us for less than 1.

So this house. First let me say, NEVER rent a house site unseen. EVER. Do what you can to get your butt to wherever you're looking and LOOK AT THE HOUSE.

We walk into this house and it is FILTHY. There are holes in the walls, scuffs and smudges and food on the walls, dents in the walls, nails in the walls, push pins in the walls... THE WALLS!!! I feel like I'm surrounded by a constant reminder of the homeowners and their filth.

The property manager tells us at 4:00 before the day we are supposed to move in that the A/C and hot water heater don't work. Oh, and he tells us this when WE call HIM.

The garbage disposal doesn't work at all and has all kinds of icky yuck inside it.

We weren't given keys to any of the doors other than the front door. (we also have a side door, back door, and garage door)

The garage door is broken.

Two of the three toilets run all day.

One toilet has a broken lid on the tank.

Roaches rule the deck and can be seen crawling in and out of the woodwork at night.

The threshold at the back door isn't even connected to the house and lets water in.

The back yard isn't fenced, although we were told it was.

The pantry had stuff spilt all over the shelves.

The washer leaks in between uses.

A door in one of the bedrooms was left in the garage and has spider webs all over it. (it's still not attached to the door frame)

One of the ceiling fans is broken.

The banisters leading up the front steps are about to fall over.

The water smells like dirt.

The dining room light was hanging by a cable.

The flower beds are full of weeds (that we're expected to pull).

One of the toilet paper holders is broken.

The carpet is all ripped up in one of the bedrooms.

The closet doors don't open in one of the bedrooms.

And the master closet now has piles of clothes on the floor because the bars broke.

The thing that really pisses me off is that these owners knew about these things and did nothing. It's a major inconvenience for me to now schedule all the repair men necessary to get these things fixed. Ridiculous. I don't know these people, but I really don't like them. They left us a dump. We could probably get out of our lease, I mean I'm pretty sure we were legitimately misled. However, we cannot afford to move. The military isn't going to pay to move us again. I certainly can't move us by myself and Anthony won't be home until the baby is born.

And thanks to our move here, my daughter will have no one at her 2nd birthday party but me. I'll also be spending my anniversary alone, just like I did my birthday and Mother's Day.

This is not the life my husband or I wanted for our family. He was misled at his recruitment interview. Had he known he could get on a ship like this, he wouldn't have signed up. He originally wanted to be a chaplain in the Air Force, but didn't because of the time that would be spent away. Now he's locked in to spend more time away than he would have as a chaplain.

But I know that he's doing good things. I know that he is good at this and our country will be better off to have him serving in this capacity. He's very smart and can now combine that with his love of adventure.

I almost started crying in church today because when I asked someone where Sunday School was, she wouldn't even turn around to look at me to answer. She just pointed and then started talking to someone who walked by. I felt invisible all day. It's not often that a 7 1/2 month pregnant woman feels invisible. Today was the day I needed someone to see me, to acknowledge that I'm here and that I'm not alone.

To top it all off, my mom went back to her deadbeat husband. The man's a liar, an abuser, a criminal, and a thief. I have never before met someone so wicked and I pray that I never do. When you're around him, you can literally feel the spirit leaving you, he's that bad. Yet she claims she loves him. He has cut my brake lines and threatens to have my entire family slaughtered... how can you love someone like that? If someone tried to KILL my daughter, it would be very difficult for me to even look upon their face, let alone sleep in the same bed and share the same name. She frustrates me. Her head is so screwed up thanks to this scumbag. My children will never know her, so long as this man is anywhere in her life.

I do know that ultimately Heaven Father is in control. I know that I'm entitled as an obedient daughter of God to the companionship of the Holy Ghost and to the strength of the Atonement. But this knowledge is not like waving a magic wand. I feel so ungrateful to have so many things to complain about, and I hate feeling that way. Just because I do have a roof over my head doesn't mean I don't feel stress... I guess all of us have a breaking point and I'm coming very close to mine.

There. A good cry and a good vent. Sorry about all the scattered thoughts.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Apple Banana Muffins

Go check out my post at So Maybe Mom Was Right. These muffins are SO delicious!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Domestic Violence

There's a lot of confusion in this world about one little four-letter word.

L O V E .

What is love?

Love is...




Love is not...







I know these images are horrible and unsettling to look at. But the faces of these women make a grand point. Love and violence have no place together. The two are oil and water.

My mother has been in an abusive marriage for almost 4 years. It is something that has torn our family apart. She met her abuser online and was swept away by a fairy tale of nice houses, luxury cars, and fabulous parties. He lied to her from the gate. He told her he was a successful business man and that he owned x, y, z. He proceeded to convince her to give him close to $250,000, before he even married her. He harassed her continually, although she thought it was signs of his love. He would call her at work repeatedly, break into her home to "surprise" her, and call her cell phone literally every 5 minutes. She quit her job and they were married. He convinced her to sell her car and home, and to of course give that money to him. He immediately began to tap into all of her credit card accounts, maxing them all out and not allowing her to pay the bills. On a number of occasions, he has strangled her with a belt, punched her in the face, and given her bruises up and down her body. He calls her the most horrible names in the book, in private as well as in public. He threatens to do harm to her family, and has even cut my brake lines. She literally knows nothing about him, yet she believes that he is in the mafia and that if she leaves him, he'll put a hit out on her and the rest of the family. She believes he knows everyone in every police force and therefore they cannot to be trusted. She believes that he loves her.
And most painfully, she believes that she loves him.

She has had her chances to escape and repeatedly returns to him. She is your classic example of what happens to the mind of a victim of domestic violence. She refuses help. Because of this, I've almost given up hope for her return. I've basically lost my mom and my daughter has never known her grandmother.

This man may be able to silence her, but he will not silence me.
Maybe even if my mom is so far down this horrible cycle to never return, someone else isn't.
Maybe someone will read this and have the courage to escape.

This is not the life my mom wants. But this is all she thinks she's worth. This man has robbed her of everything. She literally prays at night for him to die so that she can be free because she thinks that's the only way out.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, know this-
THERE ARE WAYS OUT.

There is a whole network of people waiting to help you.

They can keep you safe.

But they can only help you if you ask for it.

No fairy godmother is going to come rescue you, you need to stand up for yourself and your family and GET OUT.

If nothing else, think of your children and how you are making them suffer.

Think of your mother and father and how much it kills them to see this happen to their baby.

Think of the person you were before this and what you would say to a friend who told you their husband beat them up.



Resources for victims of domestic violence:

HAVEN 1-877-922-1274

Worst blogger

ever.


New post coming soon.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Craft Hope

Well, it looks like the short list will have to wait. Craft Hope just started a new project and it's right up my alley. They're collecting quilts for Margaret's Hope Chest to give to homeless children in Michigan.

They would like quilts of all sizes for boys and girls. The project is "Hope Squared" and they're asking for quilts made out of squares... a great use for scraps.

I think this quilt looks super cute:
The pattern for this great quilt will be on Craft Hope's site soon.

Another great thing about this project... you don't even have to finish the quilt. Margaret's Hope Chest will take the quilt tops and bind and quilt them for you. PERFECT. Everyone can sew a few pieces of fabric together. So let's do it!

Monday, October 12, 2009

My short list...

Just a few of the projects and recipes I'd like try in the next month or two...

Scrappy Quilt -- What a great way to use up all those extra scraps taking over under my sewing table!

Monogram Frame -- This will be beautiful in Emma Kate's room... although I'm not sure if I would use an "E" or an "EK." This would also make a GREAT baby gift.








Please let me know if you've tried any of these things and how yours turned out.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Shred update: Days 9-17

Day 9
I completely forgot about working out today until about 10:30pm. At that point, it was too late. I couldn't believe I forgot! The whole day was very busy with filling out applications and looking for jobs online for Anthony.

Day 10
I DID remember to workout today. It was difficult because Emma Kate was awake and kept climbing on furniture. I'm glad it's over!

Day 11
No shredding today... too much other stuff. I did go to the grocery store with EK, I think that counts for something. I also carried all the groceries up stairs by myself... another hard feat.

Day 12
Again no shredding. I know, I know! Sundays are very hard and LOOOOOOOOOONG for me these days. This Sunday was made longer by the GCC audition at night (which I made, woo hoo!). On the super bright side, I did get to wear another skirt to church today that I hadn't worn since before EK.

Day 13
It's so true that when you skip a couple days it's very easy to skip another. I felt myself falling into that trap and figured I might as well get it over with. So I did it! I'm so happy with myself that I did. I think after tomorrow's workout I'm going to move on to level 2.... kinda scared about it. I'm also taking measurements tomorrow. I skipped way too many days this week, so I will be surprised to see any change.

Day 14, 15, 16
I'm sorry to say that I had to skip these days. I have been feeling physically exhausted and run down lately with no energy to speak of. I'm not sure why, but it's the truth. I think I'm going to extend my 30 days to 40 days to make up for my skipped days. I was pretty hard on myself, thinking, "here you go again, starting something and not finishing it." It's pretty easy to just quit all together when you get in that state of mind. but...

Day 17
I didn't quit. I worked out today, even though it was very, very hard. I'm still feeling uber-exhausted. You know that feeling when you stand up real quick? That "I think I might pass out" but you don't feeling? That feeling kept coming over me during the workout. Probably a bad sign, huh? When that happened, I would just catch my breath and modify the move. I'm still on level 1, so it's not like my body isn't capable of this. Maybe I'm getting sick? Maybe I'm dehydrated? Anyone know about this stuff?

ps... Thanks for all the wonderful encouragement.