5QF- Full term edition!

I'm officially 38 weeks!  Full term, baby!

Let's get this show on the road.

I slept like crap last night....I'd rather be sleeping like crap- with a baby in my arms than tossing and turning all night.

My friend, Jill is due today.  She's VERY uncomfortable. 

Then my friend, Jennifer, is due next Thursday.  She's also VERY uncomfortable.

The next week is mine.  All mine.

But secretly, I'm hoping she'll be here by then.

Yesterday, C. drew a picture for the baby.  I was expecting a ninja or something. 

Instead, he drew a picture of Jesus on the cross and the two robbers on each side.

"I'm going to teach the baby about Jesus and how much He loves us."

Oh, be still my mommy's heart!

Then, Baby Girl was having a one-baby party and jumping all around yesterday.

Normally, A. will put his hand on my "bump" and say, "Yep...feels warm there...I feel her!"  and moves on.  I told him to keep his hand there for a second- cause it's not warmth, it's a kick.

Right then, she kicked the heck out of his hand.

The wonderment in his face was uh-MAZE-ing.  It was so sweet.

He smiled at me, "I FELT THAT!!!!"

Then, he impulsively gave my belly a kiss and turned to walk away.

Again, my mommy's heart BLEEDS for these kids!

Hurry up, baby girl!  Your brothers want to meet you!!!


Anyway, let's answer some questions:

1. What album/cd/download are you embarrassed to admit you have?

There are a few.  The one that I really hate to admit is Eazy E.  "Give me that nut"

Yep...it's vulgar, and crass.

My sister-in-law introduced it to me the same visit that we bungee jumped.

She's the reason I'm corrupted!!!  I'll blame it all on her.  :)

2. What's the one thing your spouse does better than you?

He's much more organized.  MUCH MORE.  He's a better builder, and better at anything detailed or dealing with small engines.


3. When do you start buying Halloween Candy?

We don't!

We live up on a dirt road, and have never (not ever once) seen a trick-or-treater up this way.

Never.

So, we don't buy it.



4. Family closets - Yay or nay?

We don't have one, but I can see the benefit of them.  Especially for those with larger families.



5. Which home/cleaning chore do you hate the most? Why?

ANYTHING that has to do with floors.  Sweeping them, mopping them, vacuuming them.

I really hate doing floors.

Which is why my floors are in DESPERATE need of some attention.

Desperate.

Winding down the pregnancy edition

I had my 37.5 week visit this morning.

Let's just say that my weight gain wasn't stellar.  But apparently, I've started swelling.  At least, that's what my Dr. is blaming it on.  Meh....I'm now taking the thought of "I've behaved and stayed well within my calorie goal....so, it is what it is." 

I've got about 2-3 weeks before I need to really worry about getting that weight back off....so in the meantime, my body is just going to do what it's going to do.


The Dr. said that she's ready for me to deliver anytime.  I'm happy to hear that, but not getting my hopes up for early-early delivery....just a gut feeling.  I think she's comfy in there.


She's also fiesty.  (like her mama).  The Dr. confirmed she's head down, but as soon as Dr. grabbed her head, she started kicking and hitting at the Dr's hand.  Like, "LADY!  GET OFF!"  She's already trouble, I tell ya.  :)

So, I think we're ready for her arrival.  My bags are (partially) packed.  The bassinet is ready.  Her clothes have been laundered and put away.  The changing table is set up in the dining room- for now.  Her rocking chair has been recovered.  Diapers and wipes ready.  I believe we have just about everything we need for her - with the exception of our bouncy seat.  Apparently, I either sold it or gave it away.  But I'm not too worried about that at the moment.


In addition, since it's raining here in Michigan today, our NINJA painter is here putting color on the nursery walls and our (new) bedroom walls.  It's lovely to see color go up!!!  We ordered carpet last night.  That takes 1-2 weeks to come in, and then we have to schedule installation...but after that, we can load everything right up.  It will be SO CLOSE- if she's on time.

In the meantime, I'm scheduling things like meetings, and GNO's....hoping that will jinx me into delivery.  AND I'm laundering, ironing and hanging many maternity clothes to put in our MOPS consignment sale.  I hung onto the baby stuff in the past- just in case - because nothing permanent had been in place.  I'm beginning to think that it either jinxed me (ha!) or I perhaps knew on a spiritual level that God wasn't quite done with our family. 

This time it's different.  The feeling is different.  There's no more wondering about "maybe one more...."  There's contentment....there's peace. 

So, I have no problem getting rid of the baby stuff after we're done with it.  Starting with the maternity clothes!

Phoning it in

I've been a busy little bee lately.

Sometimes I forget I can take pictures on my phone.

Although, it's not a smart phone...so no instagram for me.

But...hey, documentation is documentation, right?!?!?

Here's some random pics from the past few weeks:

On the way home from my parent's house on Saturday.

After being in two different houses for two different nights.

We were all tired.

(Notice the cashed out puppy in the lower right corner)

There's something so sad and vulnerable about seeing your

kid with a breathing mask on.  :(

But he's on the mend.



The view from my make-shift sewing table.

Now sitting there for 2 1/2 weeks.

It's a pretty view, but not a pretty area (I'm messy).

Nesting at its best.

While the boys were at school, I went through every last blessed toy.

I threw half of them away.

It's dark, but there are 2 1/2 trash bags here....

I was ruthless.

But cleaning up before bedtime has never been better.

Simple living:  I'm loving it!

This was an AMAZING baby gift waiting for me at school a few weeks ago.

It's EVERYTHING I need to start up Baby Girl's scrapbook.

The colors are PERFECT, and there's not ONE "princess" thing to be found.

She knows me SO well.

I'm excited to jump into this!

(Perhaps I should start on C's scrapbook first, maybe?!?!?)

Labor Day weekend.

I had a headache, and stomach ache, and opted to sleep instead of head to church.

D. took the boys.

He got them dressed.

I came up for Tylenol after they got home.

This is the outfit I saw.

I love husbands.  :)

Same Day.

This was A's outfit.

Ugh...GLARE!

This is the score board from a birthday party that both boys were invited to at the end of summer.

It was at a local arcade/kid's park, etc.

They got to play a game of laser tag.

C. blew them all away.

All of them.

He never got hit.

I think he was so much shorter than all the other kids, he just slipped in under the radar.

The highest score next to his was 7,000.

C's score?  13,000

Oh yeah.

Enjoying the fruits of our "reading" labor.

Thank you summer reading program.

Noodles & Co.

Baby girl's dresser redo.

The finished product.

It had bugs stenciled all over it.

I'm not a stencil kind of gal.

I went shabby chic.

What you really can't see is that I painted the purple under the corners and edges,

then painted the white over it, and sanded some of it down.

Her changing table will go on top.

Yay, baby!

Counting Blessings 91-100

What a week!


91.  My NEW NEPHEW, Finn!  Actually, Griffin Mayes, but they're calling him Finn.  He's adorable and has totally chubby cheeks.  I can't wait to get my hands on him!

92.  My family all under one roof.  The boys and I spent 2.5 days out and about away from home.  Only being able to see Dave in little spurts here and there was really rough.  I wasn't a fan.  We arrived home for dinner last night, and we're ALL soooo happy to be together again!  (Including the DOG!)

93.  Carpet samples.  I'm picking a carpet for our bedroom from carpet samples.  For some reason this makes me feel so grown up....and like the completion of a few finished bedrooms is on the horizon.

94.  Farm shares.  Melody shared her share with me last week- since they were out of town.  (Thanks, Mel!).  It's interesting to see what you walk away with, and also more interesting to challenge yourself to cook with new and interesting fresh foods.  I dig that.

95.  T-Bone steak.  It's what's for dinner tonight.  Mmmmmm, grass fed beef.  Mmmmmmmm.

96.  Healing.  After last week's scary Sunday night episode with C, I'm happy to report he's on the mend.  He took his last dose of oral steroids on Friday night, and we'll continue breathing treatments through this week....but he's sleeping and eating again.  And he's on the mend.

97.  Tomorrow is a new month.  New month = new (full) envelopes.  The last few months have run short (i.e. too much month at the end of the money).  This is usual for us in the summer....fall usually slows down a bit.  I'm looking forward to that.

98.  Window treatments.  Thanks to pintrest for the inspiration to make window treatments for Baby Girl's room.  Now I just need to get off my bootie and do them.  You know, CAUSE THE LACQUER IS DONE!!!!  Woohoo!

99.  Farmer's Markets.  My mom brought A. to the farmer's market yesterday.  He always gets kettle corn and donuts there.  (yeah....let's talk about irony on that for a second....but the kettle corn is amazing!).  She brought back some Honey Crisp apples for me.  Two of them are as big as my dog's head.  They make me drool.  I'm saving them for a special occasion.  :)

100.   It's almost October!!!  DUE DATE MONTH!!!!  YES YES YES!

5QF- Country edition

There are a few things I learned in my short stint of country living:

1.  The smell of manure in the morning makes me dry heave.

2.  The one hour and 12 minute round trip to drop the boys off at school could get annoying to do everyday.

3.  The drive in is amazing - Michigan leaves are starting to turn- especially the red and yellow ones.

4.  There are many dillweeds behind the wheel on the road early in the morning.

5.  The quiet out here is unparalleled, though.  Beautiful quiet.  :)



Anyway, I'm going to be happy and content with my peaceful city-dirt road abode. :)  And abbreviated commute to ....well, everywhere.  :)

But am totally grateful for a safe place to go with the boys so we can breathe safe air while our house gets polluted.  :)  Thank you, Mel!




1. Do you prefer to drive to your vacation spot or fly?

Depends on where we're going.  Eight hours in the car is pretty much my limit.  So, anywhere farther than an 8 hour drive- hook me up with wings.

That said, I like both means of transportation.  I love a good road trip...but I also love riding in planes.  Just get me travelling!


2. If you could live any where in the world, where would you go and why?
Like "live" permanently?!?!?  Michigan, baby!  I'll admit, I'm smitten with my mitten.  :)  I love seeing all 4 seasons, I love the people here, I love the geography.  And being close to family.

Now, if only we could get the mitten to turn the other color (my happy color) in November....then, I'd truely be in love!


3. Should grown women wear leggings?
I think that there are some women who can pull off leggings to a decent degree.  The problem is, there are too many women who think they are in this category....and they're just....well, not.

I think there's a lot of respect for women who know how to dress age appropriately for their body type- and manage to not look matronly....but not look like they're 65 years old shopping at Express, you know? 


4. If you could change your name to any other name, would you? And what would it be?
I've never really thought about this.  I'm just so used to being Sandy...I can't imagine answering to any other name.

So, no...I wouldn't. 


I guess?



5. What magazines do you have subscriptions to?

I've had a subscription of All You for the past few years.  And I really enjoyed that one, but when the renewal came around....well, we just decided to forego it until the discretionary income frees up a bit.
After I registered for baby items at Babies R Us, all of a sudden, every baby magazine has found its way to my mailbox.  So, essentially, I now have a subscription to every Baby magazine ever written.

next question:  ask me if I read them....

Answer:  not really.

Hodge Podge Thursday- see if you can follow my crazy brain

My friend, Melody, and I went to the Melting Pot on Tuesday night.  I didn't realize how long its been since I've seen her.  Dinners there take 3 hours.  I'm so glad!  It gave us TONS of time to catch up, and we probably could have talked another 3 hours.  Love that girl.

Speaking of Melody, I'm staying at her house tonight.  I packed the boys and dog (and myself) up at 6:30 this morning, and decided to be a transient all day until the boys got out of school.  This means one thing:  lacquer started today!  I drove by the house a few times, and could literally smell the lacquer from the road....in my closed car.  THAT'S how sensitive my nose is.  My dear friend isn't home tonight, so we're essentially house/dog sitting.  However, her lovely dog won't come within 10 feet of me.  I'm trying not to have a complex about it.  I'm really a friendly person, Coda!!!

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant.  Tomorrow my sister-in-law is being induced.  She doesn't know what she's having.  I think it's a boy.  We'll see soon!

I've realized, through being transient today, that I really am a home-body.  I'm totally ok with this revelation.

C. is officially on the mend.  He's down to one breathing treatment a day!  And crazy amounts of steroids still, but hey....mending is mending, right?

I have a list of things left to do at home (i.e. call the Dr. regarding a bill, order the carpeting, etc.)....this list needs to get done this week....but I'm not sure how I'm going to complete it.  Oh well.

Rolos are gluten free.  Awesomeness.

I'm grateful for wi-fi...and wireless cards.  I can take work anywhere.

I arrived to my boy's school for pick up exactly one hour too early.  I had no where else to go, and didn't want to spend anymore money at stores.  So, I parked, reclined my seat, hiked my belly to the side, and took a nap.  I'm not sure if I was snoring or not...I don't really care.  I awoke in time to hit the bathroom before pick up.  I consider that awesome.

I'm wishing the boys didn't have school tomorrow.  I could use another day hanging out with them.

I'm almost wondering if Baby Girl's room will possibly be ready before her arrival?  This is a remote possibility now.  But I'm still not sure it will happen.  All the stars and planets would have to align.

A. has his first book report due tomorrow.  I'm glad it's finished and packed away in his backpack.  Third grade is hard.

I have one hour left until the boys' bedtime, so I'm off for some quality cuddle time!

Bad news/ good news

Good news:  C. is on the mend.
Bad news:  He's so jacked up on steroids, the poor boy will probably be awake and wired until October.


Good news:  I had an AWESOME time with Melody at The Melting Pot last night!!!
Bad news:  Apparently, I'm not used to hoity toity bathrooms, and accidentally squirted MOUTH WASH on my hands (instead of soap).  And even after multiple washes and a shower, my right hand is still smelling minty fresh.


Good news:  My husband has never been busier with work.
Bad news:  It's all going to go to medical bills.  (i.e. we're still broke)


Good news:  Lacquer gets sprayed this week (with a bit fat HOPEFULLY behind it!!!)
Bad news:  We need to move out for a few days- especially now that C. is having breathing issues.... meaning our family will be separated for a bit.


Good news:  My friend has offered her house during the school week. 
Bad news:  She won't be there, and I'll miss her.  :(


Good news: It's taco night tonight.
Bad news:  What?  There's no bad news with taco night....other than the heartburn that comes with it!  But, since it's a low-maintenance dinner, I get a nap!  (again, big fat hopefully!) 


Good news:  Many of my pregnant friends are past their due dates....meaning by law of proportions or ratios (or whatever), that should increase my chances of going at least a few days early, right?!?!?!  (Thanks for pointing that out in the first place, Michelle!)
Bad news:  My friends are a tad cranky at my pointing this out.  And are probably now praying that I go 3 weeks late.  (GAH!)


Good news:  the state of cleanliness in my house is enough to drive me to the brink of insanity.
Bad news:  Insanity doesn't necessarily equal motivation.  **yawn**


Good news:  C. is sleeping well, eating again, and appears to be on the mend from his cold virus.
Bad news:  He has given it to me....and, I think his brother.  Or it could be allergies.  Time will tell. 


Good news:  It's been about 3 weeks since Ally's last potty-in-the-house incident!
Bad news:  We're about to mess her schedule and safety net up for the next 4-5 days....this usually results in some rebellious behavior.  Time will tell.

Good news:  After my blog post and facebook post on C's breathing condition Sunday night, we've received so many calls, cards, and emails offering help, love and prayers.  Our little family feels so loved.
Thanks, everyone!!!