Manic Monday

How long does it take you to get out of bed in the morning?

- About 5 minutes, I like to lay there and slowly wake up, unless I need to use the bathroom really bad.

Do you usually sleep on one side of the bed or another?

- I sleep on the right side of the bed, but as soon as the hubs gets out of bed in the mornings, I roll in the middle of the bed and spread out!

Something you wish to accomplish before the end of the year:

- I have to really narrow it down to just one? Top of my list is to de-clutter and organize my basement!

Another Busy Weekend

Yet another weekend that has me beat. Worked Friday night, although it was so suprisingly dead that I got out early! Woo-hoo!!!

Saturday I went to an all day scrapbooking crop. A total of 75 women there. I got a whopping 6 layouts done. Will be taking pics of those tomorrow in the light since I forgot to, today.

The main reason for this post is to show off MIL's and my craftiness in making Emma's summer fairy costume. I need to re-do her wand, get some colored tights, MIL is going to glitter up some sneakers and re-do her crown and then she'll be all set to go. Here are a couple pictures of the materials used.










And then we were unsure about missing spots, so we threw the dress on the scarecrow to fill in empty spots we could see.






And then the costume wearer herself woke up from nap so we were able to put it on her, it was a little struggle to get it on her, as the dress just fits, but she LOVED it!!!













And to finish off two videos of her "flying" around and "twirling". These video's only make me realize with sadness that my baby is such a little girl now!

My Little Picasso

Paint job gone bad? I think so! So, last weekend while at the pumpkin fest there was a book stand, all books $2. Of course I couldn't resist and we picked up a My Little Pony water/paint book. You know where there are globs of colors at the top, you wet them with water and then paint the picture below. Of course she loved it! Although she didn't get the whole going up to the color globes, she mostly prefered slapping the water all over the picture. As shown below.










Afterwards there was a slight tantrum as I put it all away. We moved on to snack and afterwards I let her play so I could do the dishes. At this point this is where the paint job goes bad. She hadn't come out to the kitchen for a few minutes so I headed out to the living room to check on her. I found that she climbed on her table, dug in the basket of art goodes, grabbed the bottle of blue tempera paint, twisted off the cap and decided she wanted to paint her own master piece. Of course the scrapbooker in me had to get the pictures before cleaning her up. Her expression is priceless to say the least.

Thirsday Thirteen

Since we are officially in the middle of the Autumn Season thought I'd do my 13 favorite things:

1. The weather starts to get cooler.
2. DST time Ends!
3. The trees leaves change colors and all fall off.
4. Time for making costumes and going Trick-or-Treating.
5. Raking leaves and letting Emma jump in them.
6. Apple Festivals.
7. Pumpkin Patches.
8. Carving Pumpkins and roasting the seeds.
9. Fall colors.
10. Thanksgiving.
11. Black Friday shopping.
12. Baking pumpkin pies and pumpkin rolls.
13. Mums.

Wow, totally pegged me!

I've been browsing through peoples blogs and linking to other people from them. And I found this quiz on One Gal's Musings . Fun stuff...go try it out for yourself.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!

You are a Doris -- "I must help others."

Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.


• * Share fun times with me.


• * Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.


• * Let me know that I am important and special to you.


• * Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships

• * Reassure me that I am interesting to you.


• * Reassure me often that you love me.


• * Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.

What I Like About Being a Doris

• * being able to relate easily to people and to make friends


• * knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better


• * being generous, caring, and warm


• * being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings


• * being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris

• * not being able to say no


• * having low self-esteem


• * feeling drained from overdoing for others


• * not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish


• * criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should


• * being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them


• * working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often

• * are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism


• * try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding


• * are outwardly compliant


• * are popular or try to be popular with other children


• * act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention


• * are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents

• * are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)


• * are often playful with their children


• * wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"


• * can become fiercely protective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

A Time 4 Remembering Always

It's almost midnight, sitting here with my 4 candles lit beside me. As I lit each one, I said the baby's EDD's Month (aka expected delivery date), November, May, December, and March. I am so very blessed to have my beautiful angel Emma with me. But as I'm looking at these flickering flames, I'm thinking of all of the things I will never know about each baby, how they laugh, the sound of their voice, watching them sleep, going through firsts, genders etc.

Through each one I have heard an array of "advice" from family/friends/strangers. I know that it's awkward because you really don't know what to say unless you've been there. One of those odd situations. Usually it just makes me mad/sad/hurt because most people go back to saying well at least you have Emma and you should just concentrate her. It doesn't take away the loss. The grieving process I go through. Remembering always. Most of all I just want people to recognize that it's an actual loss.

I never thought I'd have fertility problems, but real life can be cruel somtimes. But thankfully, I am finally ending my 3rd month since my last miscarriage and will be heading back to the dr's for the batch of tests they want to do. Let's hope we find the answer. Not that I'm ready to try for another baby. Deep down in my heart I feel like I'm done. Yes I'm "young" and can always change my mind but these are my feeling right now. Sorry for the sadness this has turned into. Anyways though I want to share a photo of the candles. My next project is to get some tapers and decorate with ribbon or something instead of the tea lights, but thought the tea light holder was fitting with the 4 spaces.

Just Another Wedding

This has definitely been the year for wedding with friends and family that I know. Today we attended our 4th in 4 months time. The ceremony was beautiful. The reception was great, minus the fact of having an overtired (no time for a nap today) 2 year old little girl, which meant we had to leave in the middle of dinner, I so wish we could have stayed longer. But anyways, a big CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. & Mrs. Cory Packer!!!

The reception was held at the Conference Center at Millersville University. Oh the memories. How I miss that place so much. Especially on beautiful days like today. We had time to kill between the ceremony and the reception so we headed to the pond to visit the ducks, geese, and swans "Miller" & "S'ville". Walked through the SMC (pronounced smack). They were having a Stepping competition...now why did they never have that when I went? I would have loved to have watched. It was fun seeing a guy practice out in the hall. Unfortunately the school store was already closed but I definitely want to head back out sometime in the near future. Now for some pictures.

Yes, the nice 30 minute cat nap before we arrived for the ceremony.


With Daddy checking out the pond.


Walking with Daddy.


Concentrating on my necklace.


Walking across the bridge.


Why Hello Mr Duck.


Miller & S'Ville and the rest of the ducks coming over thing


Walking with me for once in a picture...lols.


Some fall tree shots...my favorite to take.











This is the beautiful face our wonderful table mates had to see most of the time.


Mr. & Mrs. Cory Packer!!!

Please pass this on to your loved ones.

So, we've now hit October which means the 15th is fast approaching. A day for remembering lost babies and pregnancies.

I unfortunately have to work that night. But I plan on coming home that night and lighting my now 4 candles and just watching them for that hour.

If you know anyone who has a loss, please pass this on. Or you can always light a candle in rememberance to someone you knew who had a loss. I know last year my mom lit candles at her house for my losses.

Birthday Calculator

A Fun Fwd I got. Here's the website: http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

Birthday Calculator

10 January 1985 Your date of conception was on or about 19 April 1984 which was a Thursday. You were born on a Thursday under the astrological sign Capricorn. Your Life path number is 7. Your fortune cookie reads: Smiling often can make you look and feel younger. Life Path Compatibility: You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7. You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 4 & 22. You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 9. You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 3, 6, 8 & 11. The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2446075.5. The golden number for 1985 is 10. The epact number for 1985 is 8. The year 1985 was not a leap year. Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/2/1984 and ending 2/19/1985. You were born in the Chinese year of the Rat. Your Native American Zodiac sign is Goose; your plant is Bramble. You were born in the Egyptian month of Famenoth, the third month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil). Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 17 Tevet 5745. Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 18 Tevet 5745. The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.11.11.11 which is 12 baktun 18 katun 11 tun 11 uinal 11 kin The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Thursday, 17 Rabi'u'th-Thani 1405 (1405-4-17). The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 7 April 1985. The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 14 April 1985. The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 20 February 1985. The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 26 May 1985. The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 2 June 1985. The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Monday, 16 September 1985. The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Saturday, 6 April 1985. The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 19 February 1985. As of 10/9/2008 9:01:50 AM EDT You are 23 years old. You are 285 months old. You are 1,239 weeks old. You are 8,673 days old. You are 208,161 hours old. You are 12,489,661 minutes old. You are 749,379,710 seconds old. Celebrities who share your birthday: Pat Benatar (1953) George Foreman (1949) Rod Stewart (1945) Sal Mineo (1939) Gisele MacKenzie (1927) Johnnie Ray (1927) Paul Henreid (1908) Ray Bolger (1904) Grigori Rasputin (1869) Top songs of 1985 Say You, Say Me by Lionel Richie We Are The World by USA for Africa Careless Whisper by Wham! Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon Money for Nothing by Dire Straits Shout by Tears for Fears Broken Wings by Mr. Mister I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner The Power of Love by Huey Lewis & the News Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.39452054794521 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for you!) Your lucky day is Saturday. Your lucky number is 8. Your ruling planet(s) is Saturn & Uranus. Your lucky dates are 8th, 17th, 26th. Your opposition sign is Cancer. Your opposition number(s) is 2 & 7. Today is not one of your lucky days! There are 93 days till your next birthday on which your cake will have 24 candles. Those 24 candles produce 24 BTUs, or 6,048 calories of heat (that's only 6.0480 food Calories!) . You can boil 2.74 US ounces of water with that many candles. In 1985 there were approximately 3.7 million births in the US. In 1985 the US population was approximately 226,545,805 people, 64.0 persons per square mile. In 1985 in the US there were 2,425,000 marriages (10.2%) and 1,187,000 divorces (5%) In 1985 in the US there were approximately 1,990,000 deaths (8.8 per 1000) In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds. In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds. In 1985 the population of Australia was approximately 15,900,566. In 1985 there were approximately 247,348 births in Australia. In 1985 in Australia there were approximately 115,493 marriages and 39,830 divorces. In 1985 in Australia there were approximately 118,808 deaths. Your birthstone is Garnet The Mystical properties of Garnet Garnet is used as a power stone Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources) Emerald, Rose Quartz Your birth tree is Fir Tree, the Mysterious Extraordinary taste, dignity, cultivated airs, loves anything beautiful, moody, stubborn, tends to egoism but cares for those close to it,rather modest, very ambitious, talented, industrious uncontent lover, many friends, many foes, very reliable. There are 77 days till Christmas 2008! There are 90 days till Orthodox Christmas! The moon's phase on the day you were born was waning gibbous. Click on the picture for more information.

Wordless Wednesday

Random Thoughts B4 Bed

- The weekend went fast and slow at the same time.
- I hate that the rain has ruined our plans the past two weekends!
- I have an extremely busy next two weeks ahead of me.
- I think I'm crazy for trying to cram 4 functions/events into this coming weekend?!
- I picked up more hours at work.
- I'm so glad that I get along with the ladies at work, it makes work not feel like work.
- Army Wives was good tonight.
- I'm becoming addicted to Grey's Anatomy.
- Dad R's 51st bday dinner was fun Saturday night.
- I like that Kristina and me have actually hung out this past week.
- The comedy show was great last Thursday.
- I definitely want to continue going to those type of things.
- I watched The Notebook for only the gazillionith time last night.
- Dinner was absolutely amazing tonight.
- Emma took her first "shower" tonight, we hooked up the kids attachment and she stood there, we had the curtain open.
- I uploaded the pictures to my computer, but not to photobucket, hopefully tomorrow.
- I can't wait for my dr's appt next Monday.
- I got the coolest kick ass-ist sweatshirt from my parent's from their vacation.
- They got Emma a 3T and it won't fit over her head. I'm deteremined to stretch it somehow.
- Emma is really starting to say "I love you".
- I love that she wakes me up in the mornings by saying "Mom" from her crib.
- I just spent an hour looking through people's blogs and all of the great crafty ideas women have.
- I think pigtails are coming back in style, I'm seeing them everywhere.
- I think I might wear mine up in pigtails tomorrow.
- My hair is getting long again, I think I'm just going to let it grow again.
- I really need to get my bum motivated in the weight loss department.
- I've started writing again and am in love with it.
- I've started my 2nd book by Jennifer Weiner The Guy Not Taken and it is 11 short stories, I'm looking forward to getting lost in a book again.
- I've been guilty of completely lurking on my sub-group's threads this weekend. And these women are very strong women who are wonderful mother's. I definitely look up to them and what some of them are dealing with right now.
- I need to get moving on my definitions swap.
- I'm getting excited thinking of Emma's new big girl room.
- I'm designing some wall art for her, I just need to pick the color theme already.

I

I am. . . a mother above anything else.
I want. . .to drive somewhere beautiful, get lost, windows down, music blaring, and pull over to watch the sunset.
I have. . . a pretty good life.
I keep. . . little things from whatever special stuff we do with Emma.
I wish I could. . . let loose sometimes.
I hate. . .that I've lost sight of some things in life.
I fear. . .failing Emma.
I hear. . .country music, an airplane.
I don't think. . . I'll ever become really organized with everything.
I regret. . .not following through with some of my dreams.
I love. . .turkey hill iced tea.
I am not. . . the greatest gardener.
I dance. . . in the kitchen with Emma.
I sing. . . to whatever is on.
I never. . . have mowed our lawn.
I rarely. . .get things done ahead of time...I'm the great procrastinator.
I cry when I watch. . .Emma do something new.
I am not always. . .the nicest person.
I hate that. . . I have minimal patience with some things.
I'm confused about. . . everyday stuff sometimes.
I need. . . a good girls' night out!
I should. . . be up in bed.
I hope . . .tomorrow night is a fun date night.

Happy 2nd Birthday

Today was Emma's birthday. I can't believe I now have a 2 year old. I mean really? Is it possible? I keep thinking of our hospital stay and her in that great newborn stage. She's now becoming a little girl. No more baby left. We had a nice relaxing day around the house. She totally melted my heart this morning. She dragged her doll house to the edge of the table and was grabbing the pieces for it from her toy bin. She'd play with each piece as she got it, and I was just sitting her listening to her talk with the little people. Too cute! I tried to make meals I knew she'd eat well today, so we had scrambled eggs and corned beef hash for lunch, and then for dinner we had sheppard's pie. She ate really good! Yay, after days of her not really eating. So then the hubs came home and we all headed to Build-A-Bear. She loved doing it, except for getting her to pick an outfit out, there were seriously just too many choices. We're going to get her an outfit or two for Christmas we've decided. We then came home and sang happy birthday over some left over cake. She actually got the blowing out of the candles tonight and did both of them rather easily. She was standing on a regular dining room chair, sunglasses on upside down, in the dark dining room while we sang to her. It was too cute. We then all sat on the couch eating some cake, her just the icing though. Probably not the greatest decision 15 minute before bedtime. Lols, but she went down well anyways.

We dropped our camera off at Best Buy to get fixed last night, they said it'd take 2-6 weeks, so I need to get the pics off of the hubs phone sometime to post, but not tonight. Hopefully tomorrow.

Over 2 years in the making...

Well, two years ago, today we were in the hospital and I was being started on Pitocin to get the labor started with my beautiful bundle of joy Emma Rose. I can't believe that 1:07AM tomorrow she'll be 2 years old!

We had a great but rainy weekend.

Saturday morning we trekked out to the Apple Festival. It started raining even harder so we quickly perused the isle's quickly. Emma did play two games and won some prizes, she got a crown & wand, and we of course had to get some kettle corn.

Later in the day we headed out to Millersburg to my cousin's wedding. It was beautifully decorated, the food was oh so very scrumptious, and the wedding couple looked blissfully happy. Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Christopher Lukunich! (Hoping the settlement of your new house goes very smoothly today)

Sunday was Emma's party day. We spent the morning having a yummy breakfast of waffles, getting ready, cooking food, decorating, and then party, party time after nap. All 6 sets of her grand & great - grand parents came, and both of her aunt's and their boyfriends came out to celebrate. The food was yummy. She got lots of great stuff from everyone. The hubs and me were quite exhausted by the time we got done with bedtime for Emma, cleaned up the decorations, did dishes, and re-organized and put away all of her new goodies. Now for a big overload of pictures.

Yummy waffles for breakfast.


Helping me make mac 'n' cheese.





Decorations.








The Birthday Girl!


The hubs and me waiting for guests to arrive.


Opening presents.


























Singing Happy Birthday.


Blowing out the candle.


The oh so very yummy cake!!!


Playing with some of her toys.