The Unexpected

The past couple of weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions.  You see, a couple of weeks ago the Hubs and I found out I was pregnant.  This was not something we had planned on timing wise, but we had discussed a second child.  After recovering from the initial shock and got used to the idea, we were thrilled that Babycakes would become a BIG sister.  We told our family, our friends, and our co-workers.  Even though I wasn't very far along, I am a believer in the power of prayer and wanted the Lord's hand in this pregnancy.

Then, last Wednesday, I started having some problems.  Without going into the details, I checked with a nurse who had worked in OB/GYN for several years and learned what I was experiencing is normal.  So I wasn't all that concerned. 

On Thursday, my symptoms had worsened.  After talking with my mom I went ahead and made an appointment with my doctor.  That night I started bleeding and cramping.  I knew, without seeing the doctor, what was happening.

On Friday morning I went to the appointment with the Hubs.  My first pregnancy test came back negative but when they ran a blood test, it was positive.  The doctor wanted to make certain that what I was experiencing really was a miscarriage and he did give us some hope that I might still be pregnant.  But in my heart, I knew I had lost the baby. 

So yesterday, I went back to the lab for another blood draw.  Today, what I knew had happened, was confirmed.  The doctor called it a "blighted ovum" or an anembryonic pregnancy.  Whatever you call is we lost Babycakes' little brother or sister.  There are no memorial services for such a thing, no cards at Hallmark (that I'm aware of), so little can be done for an event that is so sad.  We will try again, but not immediately as so many people will expect us to do.  I need time to recover from this.  As a 40 year old woman I know I am quickly running out of time to have more children.  So often people tell me that I'm running out of time.  I know this better than anyone.  Please don't tell a woman she is "running out of time" to have babies.  We know this.  Sometimes things don't go the way we have planned.  I trust that these events are in the Lord's hands and He is doing what is best for all.  Even if it hurts me now.

I share this personal story for a couple of reasons.  Many of you who read my blog are close family and friends.  I can't bear to call/e-mail/text everyone and share this sad news.  I've also learned that there are many women out there who have suffered through miscarriages in silence.  I'm not sure why this topic is not more openly discussed.  Maybe folks are afraid of saying the wrong thing to a grieving mother-to-be.  Maybe women are embarrassed.  I just know that writing this post has been heartfelt as well as cleansing. 
So while you may have been looking for a lighthearted post, I'm sorry I couldn't deliver that this time.  But I wanted to document this sad part of my journey in life.  Maybe one day Babycakes will go back and read this post and know the loss I felt.  Or maybe it will help another woman coping with a similar loss. 

Thank you for reading this.  If you don't mind, I'll just ask one more thing of you.  Please pray for our family as well as other families who have suffered a miscarriage.  It is a loss I know I will recover from but only with strength from God.

 

Summer Fun!

It's almost here!  Summerrrrrr!!!!!  Only two more teacher workdays and I am free for the summer!  The students' last day was Friday and I must say, while I am sad to see some of them leave for the high school, I am not sad to see summer vacation come a little bit closer.  I even had a countdown in my classroom that I used to count down the days with the kids.

I made this with an old Mary Engelbreit desk calendar I had a couple of years ago and it sums up the recharging that must occur over the summer for me to be ready to go in the fall.

The boxes are packed...

Piles of "what stays at school" and "what comes home" are separated.

My little classroom looks so naked at this time of year.  :-(

The computers were still on the table from the endless state testing we had to do.  Three weeks of that stuff.  I was so fried.  I really don't know how the kids take it.  It's awful.

My desk is a giant pile of mess.  I can hardly stand it!

Anywho, the next two days I will spend at work cleaning things up and getting stuff ready for the break.  It's hard to stay motivated when the end is in sight!

But I digress from my original purpose of this post and that is Summer Fun.

Each Saturday from around April through October Babycakes and I have a standing date to go to the Farmer's Market in town.  She loves to go and listen to the live music and visit with all of the local folks.  It also gives me the opportunity to purchase local produce for our meals in the upcoming week.  Yesterday was no different.  She dolled herself up and was ready to roll!

After our trip to the Farmer's Market and naps for Mama and Baby, we went to my cousin's high school graduation celebration.  We are so proud of her and she is one of Babycakes' biggest fans.  While there, Babycakes got to spend some time playing with a couple more of her cousins.  (No exaggeration, I have 32 first cousins.  This does not include their spouses, children or grandchildren.  There are a lot of freakin' cousins in my life! :-)  )   I love having such a large family.  There are always things for kids to do in a large family.  Like toddler cornhole...

I also come from a long line of farmers so there were goats and chickens to play with as well thanks to my (you guessed it!) cousin, Terry.

Let me tell you, Babycakes slept very well last night!

Today was a little more low key.  We went to church (skipped Sunday School because Mama needed a little extra sleep this morning!) then came home and had lunch before Babycakes took her nap.  After nap time was over we headed out to get haircuts and visit the kitties at the pet store next to where we got our haircuts.  (That's her reward for sitting still while getting a haircut.)

On our way home we decided to take Babycakes to the park.  This kid seriously loves a good slide and she was not disappointed today!

 I love the look of pure bliss on her face.  There is nothing better.  Except maybe having her sit still long enough to get a picture with her Mama!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I'm looking forward to the slower pace of summertime so I have more time to post some adventures on the blog.  Have a great week!

Misc. Ramblings

Almost 2 weeks have passed since my last post.  Eeek!  This time of year has got to be the worst for teachers.  Without going into the woes I will simply state that June 7th can not get here fast enough!
Enough of that - I'm trying to escape ignore forget that is going on at work during the time I am at home each day.  Especially since I have some fun stuff to blog about today!

While many folks were spending their Memorial Day weekend cooking out or hitting the pool, the Hubs and I were getting our summer garden ready.  In the past, we (read, the Hubs) have tilled the garden and sown seeds or put plants directly into the ground. And while this method has worked okay for us it is not optimal.  The weeds would get out. of. control.  I mean, when I had my appendix removed last summer, I thought I was going to have to get a machete just to get to the base of all the weeds.  It was terrible.  With the thought of pulling weeds after having my appendix out still fresh in my mind I begged for suggested a raised bed for our vegetables this year.  The Hubs relented and helped me being my raised bed dream to reality!

Being the dork that I am, I took pictures so I could share.  I should have taken before pics but, alas, I thought about that after we were finished.  (Okay, so I just now thought about it.  Don't judge, it's been a tough couple of weeks!)

First, the Hubs used a tiller to loosen up the soil.  He had done this once before to turn over the weeds so they would die.  This time I got to pull out all of the rocks!

We used 2x6 pressure treated lumber for our bed to help slow down the weathering process.

 After we lined them up, the Hubs screwed in coated decking screws.  He only did one at the top of each corner to start so we could move and adjust as needed for squareness. 

Once we had the frame level and square, the hubs put 2 more screws in each of the corners (for a total of 3 in each corner).  Looks good so far!

Next came my favorite part.  The DIRT!  (Excuse me, soil.  Sorry Honey!)

We did a layer of topsoil, a layer of humus, and another layer of topsoil.  We used a rake to level it all out. 

I haven't taken pictures of the garden since I out plants in it but trust me, they look pretty good!  I'm looking forward to a summer full of fresh produce as well as some extra tomatoes that I can use to put up spaghetti sauce for the winter.  I made some last year and it was really good.  It was a sad day when we pulled the last can out of the storage room and ate it.

So that's what we did this weekend.  But this post wouldn't be complete without some Babycakes...

Have a great week!

What's Up at Wilted Acres?

I am so sorry I have not been better about posting to my blog.  This time of year is insane for special education teachers.  "IEP Season."  Kind of like deer season but not really.  It's when we are up to our eyeballs in paperwork and meetings.  Throw in some state mandated testing, warm weather, and hormonal middle schoolers and it is a recipe for disaster  margaritas evenings spent in a warm bath.  I've also been trying desperately to get caught up on writing my dissertation proposal since Babycakes was sick almost every other week (if not every week) this past winter/spring.  Can a Mama ever get a break???

Anywho, I have been trying to take pictures of some things with the thought that I would post them on here.  Since my relaxing bath is running as I type, I will post a few pics so you all don't think I've fallen off the face of the earth...

Recently, we had to purchase a new mower "sub-compact garden tractor" (that's for you,Hubs! ;-)  )  Babycakes LOVES this thing.  We have a little trailer that we use for miscellaneous yard work projects (a necessity with 2 acres) that is now used for the primary purpose of entertaining the little one.

These pictures were taken over a period of time.  The first one was in early April and the last two (with the pink hat) were taken at the end of April.  Babycakes is all about hats right now.  We will be in the store and she will point out to me anyone wearing a hat.  It's pretty cute.

Besides taking pictures of this beautiful girl, I've also been working on a couple of gardening projects.  A couple of weeks ago I saw the cutest little teacups with Johnny-Jump-Ups in them.  I was drawn to them immediately and soon realized I had a teacup exactly like the one in the store at home in my cabinet.  Trying to be a frugalista I decided to try and replicate the look for less than the $7 or $8 the store wanted for them.  I decided to keep my eye out for Johnny-Jump-Ups in the gardening areas of our local shops but didn't see any.  I had actually put it in the back of my mind until I was pulling weeds in my rose bed and saw this...

The little purple flowers hiding in the weeds are the Johnny-Jump-Ups I was looking for!  They were hiding in my weeds  rose garden the entire time! :-)  So I gathered up some supplies and set to work. First I grabbed a couple of teacups out of the cupboard.  The one on the left I bought about 10 years ago at Ross or Marshall's.  The one on the right was a yard sale or thrift store purchase from many years ago. 

Next I put some rocks in the bottom of the teacups to help with drainage (this keeps the water from pooling on the roots, thus creating the dreaded root rot).

Next, I grabbed my trusty garden trowel and weed fork (not sure what the thing is really called but it looks like a giant fork with two tines that I use to pull weeds) and got busy digging up my weeds  plants

I separated the big clump into to smaller clumps so I would have one plant for each teacup.  I used some potting soil to fill in the teacups. 


The final product...

Not bad for a "free" gardening project!  AND I'm happy to report that they are still alive in their new home on my kitchen window sill!

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Ten and Ten

I've been in kind of a funk recently.  Not unhappy but not exactly happy either.  I blame the weather.  I am not a cold weather kind of girl.  I like 80 degrees and sunny with the occasional rainy day thrown in to keep things green and the pollen count down.  This spring has not been the warm temps I seek, therefore, I blame my funk on the weather.
So in order to vent as well as to keep things in perspective I have devised a ten and ten list.  The first ten things I do NOT like.  I feel like hate is a word best reserved for things such as Satan and other evil-doings.  This is a list of 10 things I could do without...

1.  Stinkbugs.  Seriously, where did these things come from??? One year I have never seen one and the next year they are EVERYWHERE!

  

2. "Decorative Animal Heads"  These things just creep me out.  Am I the only one???

3.  "That's a fact, Jack!"  Please note, I have never seen Duck Dynasty but my middle school boys have and I hear this quote from the show. all. day. long.   I will never watch Duck Dynasty for two reasons.  The first being this incredible annoying quote and the second being that I don't have cable.

4. Chevron Printed "stuff"  I don't know why I'm so against this pattern, I just feel it is waaaaaay overdone in home decorating these days.

5. Reality TV.  I know a lot of folks who love it but I could live without ever watching reality tv.  I'll take an old fashioned sitcom any day.

6. Not having enough time to get done what needs to be done AND what I want to do!

7.  Having the heat on at the end of April because it is so. freaking. cold.

8.  Itchy skin.  See #7 for why I have such itchy skin!

9.  Running late.  I try and have everything laid out the night before because I don't do well in the mornings but it seems no matter how much I prepare and how early I get up I'm still running later than I would like.

10.  Liver and onions.  This has to be the most disgusting thing in the world.  Mom used to make us eat it when we were kids.  I can't even stand the smell of it cooking in the house.

The next ten things are things I don't want to live without.  I don't use the word "love" because I reserve that word for my family, God, and my pets. :-)

(Note:  These are things I don't want to live without under the premise I have heat, indoor plumbing, air-conditioning, and other first world necessities.)

1.  Yardley's English Lavender Soap.  This stuff is about $1.00 a bar and smells heavenly!

 

2.  Books.  I believe Thomas Jefferson said it best, "I cannot live without books."

 3.  Small towns like Dayton, Virginia where there is still a large population of "old order" Mennonites.

4.  The beach.  Most any beach will do. :-)

5.  Ice cream.  Chocolate is my favorite, but any kind will do.

 

6.  I recently got my first iPhone and absolutely LOVE it.  Each Sunday Babycakes and I use the FaceTime feature for her to talk to her Poppa (my Dad) in Texas.  It makes being far from family a little easier.  And it's totally like the Jetsons!

 

7.  I am not ashamed to admit that I color my hair.  I do it at home for 3 reasons.  1.) It's a lot cheaper than the salon ($7.99 without a coupon versus $80 without a tip!)  2.) I don't have time to have it colored in a salon (several hours versus 45 minutes start to finish) and 3.) I get more compliments on the color when I do it myself than when I have it done professionally.

 

8.  I am also not ashamed to admit that I drive a mini-van and LOVE it.  Eat your heart out!

 9.  My Scentsy warmers.  I have 3 of these in my house and one in my classroom.  The one in the picture above is the just like the one I put in Babycakes' room.  I love that they have yummy smells, it's like burning a candle without the threat of Babycakes getting burned or me burning down the house!  It's also the perfect nightlight. (I linked to my friend, Ashley's page if you are interested.  She did not pay me to post this, nor am I getting free anything for writing this!) :-)

10.  The Golden Girls.  Must be the best comedy in the history of television.  I own all 7 seasons and watch them repeatedly.

Thanks for "listening" to me.  I needed that!  I'm hoping to get some picture up soon to show you all some of the stuff we've been doing here at Wilted Acres as well as a couple of projects I have squeezed in!

Enjoy the week!

The Dissertation Den...

So one of the reasons I haven't been blogging as much is because I've been trying to work on my dissertation proposal.  I am the kind of person who can NOT work unless all external conditions are just right.  I am so easily distracted by "extraneous stimuli" that it's not even funny.  Initially, the Hubs helped me set up my workspace in the basement (It's not as dungeon-ous as it sounds!)  but it was way too chilly for me.  I didn't want to be down there because I was always cold.  So that lasted about a week before I told him it wasn't working.

So last Saturday I took Babycakes out to run errands and the Hubs moved furniture like the manly man he is.  We moved things around so that my scrapbook room/family tv area could become...

"The Dissertation Den"

The Hubs told me that I was a nerd because of the name.  I told him I was simply an, "Intellectual Bad-Ass."

While I was at work on Monday he stayed home with Babycakes since she had been up half the night throwing up and she couldn't go to Daycare.  When I came home I found these AWESOME shelves that he had gotten at Target to help me organize all of my research.

While the purpose of this room is for me to work on my dissertation I still have my scrapbooking stuff in here.  I can't quit that cold turkey.  :-)  Besides, there was no way I was packing all of this crap up to store until I finish.

So while I am still plugging away at getting this Beast completed, I make time for the important things...

Babycakes LOVES to "clean!"

I hope everyone has had a great week!  I am off to my college reunion this weekend for a little relaxation.  Hopefully I can post some pics upon my return!

Plugging Along

I know I haven't been very good about keeping up with my blog recently but I have several reasons:

1.  Dissertation Proposal.
This thing is taking over my life. As well it should.  I have put it off for too long and now I need to buckle down and WORK!  I have been staying up late (late for me anyway)  to get reading finished and notes completed so that I can wrap my head around this beast of a project I have decided to undertake.

2. Work.
This time of year is crazy for me.  IEPs are coming due, the weather warms up, and the kids get crazy.  I have to become more creative in my lesson planning to keep them engaged without pulling out my hair.  I love my job, I really do, but some days it is more challenging than others.

3. Springtime Weather
While I do enjoy Spring every year, this year I have been begging for its arrival.  This Winter was pretty rough.  Between the cold weather and Babycakes being sick every other week I. am. done.  Take that Old Man Winter!  Since it's been in the 80s this week I have been taking advantage of the additional daylight and spending time outside with...

4. Babycakes!
I have been busy spending time with my beautiful girl.  She is growing up as I watch her each day and I don't want to miss a single second of it!

So while I think daily about updating my blog I have other things on my mind these days.  In addition, my resolutions have come to a standstill as well. I'm hoping to get back on the resolution train as soon as things settle down a little bit here.  Until then, it's back to the old dissertation grindstone.

Happy Hump Day!