Baby AJ's First Tooth!!!

Happy Birthday Brandy!

I just want to send out a big happy birthday to my friend Brandy. So much has changed but there is so much in store for you in the future. You will have a great birthday with your hubby and baby AJ so enjoy it!!!

Sorry, so sorry.....

I was going to do better at blogging but this nasty junk going around has kicked my behind! I went to the clinic here a little over a week ago and then went back this week too. I *got* to have chest x-rays both times and the verdict was bronchitis the first time and worse bronchitis the second time. Yay for me! I did a Z-Pack the first time and now am on an oral steroid and breathing treatments. I just wanna feel better. The reason I finally went to the doctor is B. He has been hospitalized now for a week and a half with strep pneumonia. He is undergoing a 7 day round of strong antibiotics and will hopefully be out by this weekend. At two and a half, this has been rough on his body and mom and dad. I am just glad that he is feeling better and not lethargic.

Little AJ is just growing. I have been going through withdrawal since I haven't gotten to see her but her mom has kept sending me pictures so I can keep up. She is almost 10 pounds now!!! They grow up so quick!

School is going good. I have been doing homework nonstop but I know there is an end goal.... I keep telling myself that at least! Well, I will try to do better about updating :)

The truth about this Okie Redneck!!!

I was sitting here, minding my own business and out of the blue, on my google reader popped up a blog that I read CONSTANTLY Forever Rhonda and reading through it I found out that I won an award. I have never won an award in blogger world!!!! This is my first that I have ever won! Thanks Rhonda!!!!

So here are the rules.
1. Get nominated. I think I did this one.... Oh yeah Rhonda did it!!!

2. Tag 7 other totally awesome bloggers.

3. Tell TEN completely honest facts about yourself in your blog.

My nominations are... (drum roll please.....) in no particular order

1. Sarah at Life{Sweet}Life who is expecting a baby BOY in May. I am so excited for them!

2. Mandy over at Campbell Family Party of 3. I actually went to school with her and although we weren't close in school we have became better friends since school. Amazing what adulthood does! She has an amazing story about her family and what they have been through to get their daughter.

3. Kerri over at I'm Just Sayin is a hoot to read. She is a new wife and mother and I love seeing those pictures!!!

4. Ya'll have got to go and check this gal out at Deer Passion. I really think that we are long lost sisters. She is on a small hiatus but go and look through her back stuff, it is amazing!

5. The Momma Hen of this bunch at Henhouse Pottery is amazing. I keep learning all the different aspects of her talents and she blows me out of the water. She doesn't know it yet but she has inspired me to try and start keeping bees. So I will most likely be picking her brain!

6. A gal who is an awful lot like me but lives across the United States! Go and check her out at Sweet Sue!!!!

7. Marian over at Marian's Hunting Stories is a blast. She loves the outdoors and makes me more aware of what is going on around me!

So here we go. Ten fascinating truths that you may or may not have known about me....

1. I am scared of heights. Like deathly scared of heights. But I still crawl up into a tree stand that is anywhere from 10 to 20 feet in the air. As I am crawling up I am thinking to myself, "What in the heck am I doing this for?" and then I am up there and remember the beauty of it all.

2. I have been married twice.... to the same man.... We were married young and are making a more educated pass at it this time.

3. Although I love my Real Tree camo but my favorite color is pink. But I like green too...

4. And speaking of green I have owned 3 vehicles in my life and all three have been green...

5. I am three semesters away from being a teacher. This makes me ecstatic and utterly speechless all at the same time. I am so ready to get into this profession and make a change!

6. I have a sis-in-law who is 5 years old and a bro-in-law who is two. When we go out everyone thinks that they are OUR kids. We have the most fun with this.

7. Even with school, a full time job, a part time job and all the normal stuff that I have to do my goal is to cook through the Pioneer Woman's cookbook. I am not setting a schedule due to the previous mentioned time consuming activities but it is my goal!

8. I got 3rd place in a chili cook off at the local college when I was 24. I was competing again a lot of women who had been cooking for many years. I didn't tell them until after what my secret recipe included - DEER!!!!

9. I have two mother-in-laws, one is five years older than me.... We get mistaken for sisters if people don't know us. The five year old and two year old are hers.

10. I have a best friend who is an awful lot like me. She hunts, fishes and had a brand new beautiful baby girl, AJ. We are so much alike and I don't know what I would do without her!

That is all the fun and interesting facts that you will find out about me today. I know that you are wanting to know more since I am SOOOOO interesting but it will have to wait until another day! Have a wonderful one!

Vet time again & Potato Soup in a Jar

My in-laws have that cute schnauzer, Lilly, and it is time for her to get fixed, get her rabies shot and all that good stuff. She has an appointment on January 18th (since I am off work and can watch her). I am so worried about another rabies incident like what Sasha had. It has just made me a bit more cautious about how they react and what we give them.

My poor dogs probably think that they are being abused by all the fresh stuff we give them. They don't even get treats anymore. We give them fresh carrots, avocados, apples, frozen green beans. They will eat just about anything that we give them and it is much healthier for them. They don't get onions or grapes since it is bad for their system. Roxy was weighing almost 85 pounds. We were having issues with ear infections and she was going to the vet every two and a half weeks. I think that we have them under control now (with extra meds at home in case!) but now we started hitting it hard with the weight loss. We cut her food back to one rounded measuring cup in the morning and one at night with carrots and all that yummy stuff in between. She is losing the weight!

It is hard to look at the amounts but when we take into consideration that Roxy is much less active than Sasha she does need less food but it is still hard when you measure it out. Sasha gets a total of two-thirds of a cup a day at 11 pounds and Roxy gets 2 1/4 cups a day and she is now weighing 78 pounds. She has lost 7 pounds so far and it is showing. She is looking good! She goes into the vet for her normal check up in March and they will do her rabies shot then. My goal is to have her down to the 75 pounds that the vet is recommending!

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Speaking of losing weight the holidays always get to me and I seem to gain. I love the food and atmosphere of Christmas. Loving this causes me to eat more, which causes me to gain weight. Now I am back to my watching my portions again and cutting some carbs out. I am refusing to cut all carbs out just because I love them. We are just going to start eating healthier. My biggest obstacle will be having two nights a week that I will leave the day job, get on the turnpike and drive, start class at 7:20 and then hit the road some time after 10, thus not getting home until almost midnight. I ate at the cafe on campus some last semester but it got me BAD.... I would go in thinking that I was only going to get a burger, then I would see some fries, or I would see the personal pizzas that were actually more the size of a small pizza and I would lose it and over eat. I am trying to start planning now what I can take. I am a huge potato soup fan and found a recipe that is convenient and tastes good.

Potato Soup Mix in a Jar
1 3/4 cups instant mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups dried milk
2 tablespoons instant chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Put ingredients in a 1-quart jar. Mix 1/2 cup of mix with 1 cup boiling water and stir until smooth.

This is one of those things that I can keep in the car and mix up a small amount to eat before class or even during class. Any other ideas that could help me with easy to make meals that can be taken to school????

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We have had over 14 inches on snow since Christmas Eve and I am enjoying it, I just hope it doesn't snow like this when I am having to drive my hour and a half to and from school. This has been the first year in a long time that I have just really enjoyed the snow and what it looks like around us.

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AJ went for a two week check up and she weighs 7 pounds 2 ounces now and is 20.75 inches long. She is growing so much!!! I have been taking care of the hubby who has been sick so I haven't gotten to see her since Christmas!!! I am going through withdrawal. I can't wait until Matt is feeling better so that I can go hold her.

Christmas blues

Christmas presents bought - check
Christmas presents made - almost check
presents wrapped - look at above, almost check
Attitude adjusted - getting there....

I love Christmas time but I hate the running. It always seems that I end up crying on Christmas day and Matt is having to tell me to calm down and just enjoy it. When we first met we had fours days of Christmas ( no joke ) since he had great grandparents still living. It was hurry hurry hurry and then you are supposed to relax. Over the years he has lost all his great grandparents so it is slowing down but still seems crazy. We go to one side of his family around 6 Christmas eve, then to the other side of the family around 9ish then back to the in-laws to help put gifts together. We are figuring that the kids will be up by 3 am opening gifts (that is B's normal time to get up it seems) and then we can go back to bed, in our own bed with the girls. We have lunch at his Mema's and then (hopefully) to Kansas for dinner with Farris and Kathy. It is just a super busy schedule and it never feels like we can sit and just enjoy everything.

Just remember that all those who are running around WANT to stay longer but the schedule may not allow it. We are running around a couple more years and then when we have kids we are going to slow down a bit.

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I got to see Brandy, Chris and the new little one last night. She is so precious and small. She has these long skinny legs and these active arms are going constantly. I got to hold my precious little niece and she is so precious. We talked about how she is eating like a little pig and how thankful we all are that everything went well. Like I said before though, it makes me think of how much we are wanting to wait but how much I can't wait to have a little one like that!!! It is amazing that one week ago we were wondering when she was going to get here and we are able to hold her today. And then you think about the birthing process to get her here and it is all just so amazing! If there is any advice or just words of encouragement to send to my friend post them here and I will make sure that they get passed on to her!!!!

Baby fever????

We went and visited AJ, Brandy and Chris on Saturday and little AJ is so precious. She has her momma's chin and maybe her dad's nose. Brandy was lucky and her labor lasted all of 10 minutes. I am serious, 10 minutes!!!! I sat and held her for almost a couple of hours and she is just so beautiful. I love the smell of babies and she was no exception.

I have been around lots of babies or women who are pregnant and it is making me have baby fever!!! I have 3 semesters left of school and I want to be teaching for a year so it will be a little bit but it doesn't help the baby fever!!!! Hopefully I can play and take care of AJ and it won't be quite so bad! Can't wait to see her! Any advice for the baby fever from all of you out there?????

Baby AJ is here!

AJ got here this morning at 3:40 am. She weighs 6 lbs 3 oz, 19 1/2 inches long and is beautiful. Everyone is doing good!!!! Happy Birthday AJ!!!!

Whew......

Today I went to lunch at 1 and felt this stuff coming out of the sky..... but it was harder than rain. Didn't think much of it and ran to eat Charlie's Chicken for Matt's birthday and when we came out it was crazy... It was actually snowing!

Now in Oklahoma it can be called the first official snow as long as there are more than 10 snowflakes. And we had quite a bit more than that. For a few minutes we had quarter size snow flakes falling and they looked so beautiful.

We are running around to all the area casinos for Matt's birthday. So I am hoping that the rain/snow won't be coming down tonight and we can get this done! We always have fun and he always does good.

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I have finished my two week thematic unit, written a five page book review over a Spanish book, am getting ready to teach a 45 minute lesson tomorrow night and am working on finishing an annotated bibliography with 16 sources... WHEW!!!!!!

I have two and a half weeks left of class and you have no idea how excited I am for that. Next semester is going to be even rougher but I have a wonderful husband who is learning to be patient with me. I over heard him saying to someone "it really has been a stressful semester for her but she is handling it really well." It made me feel good to hear him say that. Although he teases me and calls me a *career student* I know that he supports me in what I am doing.

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I haven't gotten to go hunting since I have been spending all of my time doing the assignments above but Matt has been going. He really hasn't seen much. We have one more weekend of rifle season and this may be the first season that neither him or his grandpa get to shoot something down on that land. They have seen a few but are trying to build up the population so it has been hard to decide what to shoot. We have 3 deer in the freezer so that will be enough for us but it could be close still. I am getting ready to make a bunch of deer chili and freeze it so we have easy access when we are wanting some!

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Matt has been swearing that AJ was going to come on his birthday. but I don't think that she will be coming. It will be close to his birthday so that will have to do!

Hope that we do good tonight!!!

Doe down

Matt shot a 95 lb. doe last night and she was beautiful. It was too dark to get a good picture but you will have to trust me!!! We will need maybe one more deer and then anything else we will donate to the shelter here in town. Our freezer will be full and I am so excited. We fixed a bunch a deer steak, floured and fried. Mmmmmmm... They are good anytime of the day. I had eggs and steak for breakfast and honestly they are good for a snack too.

So I hit Walmart for the Black Friday sale and it was crazy. There were more people than I have ever before. I got one of the flash drives that I wanted, a $2 Pyrex casserole dish, five movies and then I hit the baby clothes for AJ. I got the cutest little outfit and I can't wait til she is here. Maybe she will take away that baby fever for a little bit!!! (Three more semesters!!!!)

Speaking of AJ, she is due in a little less than 2 weeks! I can't wait to hold that little precious baby girl. I am hoping that Brandy's labor goes like she wants it to and goes well. I know that whatever needs to be done she will do it so that her baby girl gets here safe and sound. I am so proud of her and how she is handling everything.

We are having Thanksgiving today with Matt's grandpa that has Alzheimer's. I am looking forward to spending time with the family but feel for his grandpa.

I am working on Christmas presents and have finished one totally and then half of two others. In between school and everything else I am running short on time. I am trying to get all sorts of stuff done today. I have a two week thematic unit that is due Dec. 3, a review of a Spanish book due Dec. 1 and a comparative paper. I also need to read for class Monday night and I am teaching a lesson on Thursday night..... So, I am going to wrap this up and get to doing homework. But one last thought to leave you with.....

Boomer Sooner!!!!!!!

baby gifts

I love making stuff for people and my friend Brandy is having a baby in a couple of months and we had a shower for her today. I got to work on making a few thing. I am also making a quilt but it isn't done quite yet. But here are some pictures of what I did make for her.

A pillow sampler that I made for little AJ that matches.......
This!!!
I am absolutely in love with this. It can be made for a wedding sampler or a baby, like it is here. I love the attitude and the sparkle that the buttons give. I can make these fairly quick so if anyone is wanting one yell at me!!! I did blur out the last name but it is in the same pink that the first name is in. But you can see where it is and how it fits!

Writers Workshop

Mama Kat has a writer's workshop every week and have all sorts of interesting prompts. You should really go and check her out. This is the prompt that I chose this week....

Describe how you are hoping motherhood will change you?

If you are anyone who knows me you know the back story to this but I will tell everyone who doesn't know!!! I lost my mother when I was 6 years old. My dad remarried 8 months later and his new wife couldn't stand me and still can't. She wanted nothing more than to get me out of the house ( which she succeeded in 5ish years later). I then moved in with family members and although there were people around me I never had a true "mother".

When Matt and I would discuss kids I always have wanted them but I was scared of how I would be as a mother. My mother was wonderful and creative and always had fun with me. I went from that to someone who was abusive and mean. I was scared that I couldn't be like my mother and would be like my dad's second wife. After much talking and crying I have finally decided that I will not be HER. I am going to be my mother through and through.

The changes that I can hope motherhood will make in me is more patience, enjoying today more, not worrying that everything is perfect and the biggest one, learning to not live by a schedule and to go with the flow. I am a planner and get frustrated if everything doesn't go by plan. My husband is not that way so he doesn't understand what it is like. I am hoping that I can be like my mom and if it is nice out, we can go to the creek and play. I am trying to learn now how to change how I am thinking but it is sooooo hard sometimes!

I have a friend who will be a first time mom in a few short months and sometimes I am so envious of how laid back and relaxed she is with EVERYTHING. I am trying to learn that and I am sure that little Anna has alot to teach all of us and I can't wait to see her. I know that Brandy probably has some of the same fears as me. I know that there is the thought that everyone else can say " I will just call and ask mom" and neither one of us can do that. But there are people around who will help us and keep us standing upright through this time. I can't wait to see little Anna and know that Brandy is going to make a wonderful mother.

Relaxing and just being able to enjoy the moment without a plan in place is one of the things that I hope motherhood can change in me.

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Head on over to Mama Kat's and see who else is writing over there!

Writer's Workshop - How will I enjoy my last days of freedom (aka summer)?

How will I enjoy my last days of freedom (aka summer)? Well... I was absolutely pumped and thought that I wouldn't go back to college until August 24th. Then I got a phone call - I was told that a class that I was going to have on Tuesday nights was moved to Thursday nights. "Not a big deal, I will go to my Monday class and then to my Thursday night class", I thought. Nope, now way, no how. The college that I go to starts classes on Thursday August 20th so I will actually have to start a couple days earlier and then finals week I will be there later. Bummer of a deal but oh well! That being said I had a couple a days cut off of my summer so my plans are changing. I am working on a quilt for Christmas for my mother-in-law. She has no idea and I am almost done. I have a friend who is going to have a baby in December and she just found out that it is a GIRL so i just ordered a quilt to make for her. And I am so blessed that I get to help my friend out and paint the room for the baby this weekend. It is going to be yellow I am told. This Friday I am going to watch Jeff Bates, Trent Willmon and Mark Willis. Then I will just be finishing everything up and getting ready to start back to school on August 20th. I will be cooking and freezing alot to have food where Matt doesn't have to fix anything if he doesn't want to and so I can have a healthy dinner quick before or on the way to school. (The girls at work really worry about me driving and eating at the same time and apparently there was a survey that showed the insurance companies don't like this habit that we have picked up of eating or drinking in the car.) I will also be trying to wrap doctors appointments up and having a birthday dinner for the dad of the earlier mentioned Baby GIRL in which we are having fried perch, fried potatoes (sweet and russet), cornbread and for dessert we will have real whipped cream with strawberries and homemade shortcake!!!! Let's hope I can get all this done and shop for school supplies!!!

That time of year!!!!

I have been getting cucumbers like crazy out of the garden. Family members have been benefiting from the quick growth since I am the only one in our house who likes them. Matt is very picky and doesn't eat very many vegetables but he has been having fun with the garden. I think that he is out there as much as I am! I have tons of tomatoes on the vine but only one is starting to turn. My peppers don't look like they are going to do anything but that is okay. Next year I am going to plant a few different things and organize a bit better. I am going to use cattle panels to let the cucumbers grow up and since I am being told that I am going to plant squash too, I will do the same thing for the squash. I am also being told that I need to plant watermelons too!

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September 1st is the opening day for dove season in Oklahoma so I am counting the days - 6 weeks and 6 days. I am thinking that I am going to have to make some dove and dumplins this week. It has been sounding soooooo good!

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My friend Brandy expecting in December. She is 18 weeks along and doesn't know what it is yet but I think she has basically decided to use yellow as a base color and then accent once they find out what it is in a couple of weeks. The are trying to start a men's ministry at their church so they had a guys night and watched the UFC fights Saturday night. So us girls got to have a night together. We ran across the border to the "show me state" and ate at a sushi and steak house place in the mall. We had this noodley stuff and rolls. She had chicken noodley stuff with cucumber rolls and I had a seafood noodley stuff with spicy crab rolls. Yummy! We ran to Babies R Us, not realizing that they closed at 9 so we got to shop for 7 whole minutes I think. But we hit the clearance rack first and I got to buy the baby its first gift! I found a set of two yellow silkies that were on clearance and they are smaller so if the baby does get very attached it can drag it all over and not worry about it dragging on the ground. She bought an adorable set of footy pajamas with yellow ducks all over it. I just keep thinking two more weeks and we will know what it is!

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I had to find something quick for dinner tonight so before I left I threw a pork roast in with some potatoes. I will let Matt choose between corn on the cob or green beans ( I am sure he will choose corn on the cob) and then I am sure that I will have a little bit of ice cream for dessert!

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I am hoping that everyone else is having a great week (It's humpday!!!!) and staying cool!

3 weeks left...

I just wanted to let you all know that I have 3 weeks left!!! Then this semester will be done! I am excited to have the time to spend fishing with hubby. We are planning on doing alot of that this summer. And speaking of fishing we are fishing the DARE tournament on May 9th and hopefully I won't end up with another crankbait in my leg....

I also wanted to let everyone know that I am sorta gonna be an aunt!!! My friend Brandy just found out that she is pregnant. So the middle of December I will be able to be holding a baby again. And this is my baby fix for the next couple years since I need to finish school...

Please be sending up some prayers for Kathy. It came back that it is lung cancer. The next step is seeing what to do... It is making me face some really tough thoughts and some really tough problems in my life too. I am still trying to save to do the propholactic masectomy. I am just in one of those moods and it is making me think more about cancer....