A tricky day...that started with a treat!

After a day like yesterday, I've just gotta VENT! Shoot- that blasted dog (cute as she may be) is about to be homeless if she poops on my floor AGAIN! AAAAggghhh!

I miss my hubby....did I say that already? He's working at church in Florida this weekend. Yesterday was a day that I would like to qualify as "a character building experience". Mom, aren't you proud of me for sayin' that and not something else? Graham talked about wanting to go to trunk or treat (which is a tradition at our church in FL) ALL DAY LONG.

If you've ever watched Seinfeld, you'll appreciate what I'm about to say. Living in Bonita Springs is a little like living in Del Boca Vista (the retirement community where Jerry's parents live) Gated community after gated community. So...my kids have never really had a "typical" trick or treat experience going from house to house begging for goodies. Instead, our wonderful church there hosts this carnival/trunk or treat where the kiddos walk up and down the ailes of parked cars, lavishly decorated trunks open wide with wonderful people that we know (I love that part) passing out candy to the kids. It is so much fun.

Now, back to my sob story. :) Coupled with the fact that we're all missing Daddy, it was POURING rain (so we had to go to the mall), Hannah Reece has diarrhea, and that when I picked up Reecie earlier in the day-I pulled a muscle in my belly....well, you get the picture! The day was shaping up to be a rough one. Oh! Not to mention the fact that we got to the mall, I whipped out my camera to get pics of my darling High Sch**l Music*l Cheerleader and Clone Tro*per and the screen said...[no memory card] my response..."perfect!" You know, it was just the poop-flavored cherry on top! Anyway, I hope you're laughing right now because I am!

Just so you don't feel TOO sorry for me-there was ONE redeeming part of our day...my treat. ;) Earlier that morning I hit The Nester's rockin' yard sale! Yup, I was one of the lucky ones, I told her I was even gonna brag about it right here on my blog ;) she was so gracious and kind-she even let me take my picture with her...I'm telling y'all-this lady is a blogging celebrity!

And my bargain-huntin' sidekicks (can you tell it was early?)

As someone with VERY little (or no) decorating budget, her clever, thrifty ideas on how to dress-up our little nest have been an encouragement to me. My all time favorite thing she does is show many ways to "mistreat" your windows.

Here are some of our fun finds for the day: (thanks for the awesome deals Nester!)

Hannah Reece picked out this flower arrangement for the girls' room-usually I don't go for "silks" but this one was very cute; A giant mirror (so many places I could put this!); and some cute throw pillows...Reecie is displaying a bristly, fish ball thingy that she found at the sale.
Some lovely Matelasse euro-shams for the living room; mirrored candlesticks for our bedroom; and a giant MESS of pinkie ribbons that I'm sure will come in handy!

Graham helped me with this pile ;) : A red fleece for me; two DVD's for the kiddos and my first baby girl item...a burp cloth hand made by the Nester with this cute black and white toile scene stitched in pink! (Not pictured a Nascar book and hat just for Graham :)

I'm hoping my kiddos will agree to dress up again today, maybe I'll have pics of them all decked out after all, or not. :)

One last thing, can you believe how GORGEOUS this tree is? I had to bust a u-turn to get a shot of this autumn glory. No matter how pretty I try to dress my nest, reminds me that God is concerned about me seeking him (and focusing on eternal things), and he will meet my needs abundantly. Thank you, Lord. Perfect timing.

Luke 12:
27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Our third child is...

...a baby...

****** GIRL ******

This little one sucked her thumb for just about the whole 20 minute ultrasound. So precious.

Hannah Reece has insisted all along that this baby was a girl, referring to the baby as "her" and "my girl"...she's so happy (and frankly, I'm relieved that we didn't have to tell her otherwise!)
Graham is still not home from school yet, I can't WAIT to share the news with him. He's such a wonderful big brother. And Dan...is reeling...with thoughts of braces for two thumb-sucking girls, two weddings (much less giving away two brides!) and how he's going to protect his daughters from the boys. ;) So very thankful.

I hardly slept a wink last night...so excited about seeing this beautiful little one today. I think I'll make good use of this rainy fall weather and go take a nap....I'll be dreaming in pink!

Introducing...

a furry addition to our family

Charly

(short for Charlotte)

born on July 25, 2009...I'm realizing as I write this that is the day we found out baby #3 was on the way-and it is my Dad and our niece Kailey's birthdays!
Charly is a shih-a-poo (part Shih-tzu/part poodle) and weighs only 3 pounds-I have to ask right now that you'd pray for her safety, because she's much smaller than Dan's size 14's and is constantly under-foot! She's quite taken with him and follows his lead like a little shadow. ;)
We've had her for 2 days now, and we love her already. She's super mellow for a 3 month-old puppy and her favorite spot is any lap that'll have her. She's doing her thing outside about 90% of the time (thankfully, the other 10% is tiny and not too much of an event!), and sleeps well and often. Her little mouth is still so tiny, we have to crush her dry puppy food so that she can eat it without choking, teeny-tiny girl!

Graham had a scary time with a dog about a year ago...ever since then both kids have been afraid of any dog, big or small. It seems that little Charly has proven to be good medicine for their fears. Here's a progression of the kiddos interactions with her in the last few days, you can almost see their confidence growing:

Home for the first time (after a little bath because she peed on herself in the car!)
Graham reading the book on how to train a dog "Charly, I'm going to train you, now...sit!"
How's that?
Reecie's new buddy Her favorite spot on Dan-right on his neckRiding in the car to pick up Graham from school
Yes, even sweet Charly is a naughty girl sometimes...she has an affinity for Hannah Reece's dress up shoes! Getting to know each other
Her favorite non-living things to snuggle with, Ellie the Elephant and Reecie's baby doll...
Can you tell, Hannah Reece is warming up? I had to teach her how to carry her properly today, because she wants to take her everywhere that she goes. A big switch from yesterday when she'd squeal if Charly came too close.

Charly found her happy place :)

Cravings

In the 1st trimester it was anything very salty/sour...potato chips (salt & vinegar), ritz crackers with peanut butter, grapefruit with salt, apples, popsicles, tuna fish with pickle relish and any time of the day or night poptarts?! But please oh, please...NO chicken or broth...that would just send me right over the edge. These foods were my staples, as I was so sick that mostly nothing sounded just fine to me.

Second trimester rolled around...feeling SOOOO much better now...my "sensitive dog smeller" (as Dan calls it ;) is starting to wear off and I can eat mostly anything...been making up for that lack of food in the first few months!

So last night, at 2 am I woke up with my first middle-of-the-night craving...and of all things, something I think I've only eaten a handful of times in my whole life:I'm tellin' ya, those puppies jumped right into my cart at the grocery today. Honest to goodness, they tasted SO good before bed tonight! ;) Hopefully, the excessive sugar and artificial flavors and colors won't damage this poor child!

Crazy Hair Day

According to Graham, this is his "chicken hair" look ;)

See those tears rolling down his sweet face?

After the 'do had been done (with the help of plenty of hair goo) he had second thoughts about crazy hair day at school. First he laughed... and then cried! I'm standin' there saying "honey, you've been lookin' forward to this day for TWO weeks!" Anyway, he seemed to feel better after we reassured him that there would be lots of crazy chicken hair at school today and that it really would be fun. We'd even been saving up those thick locks of his for a haircut later that afternoon so that there would be plenty of craziness up top ;) So, he was ok with that and posed with his silly face so we could remember our teary-cheeked, chicken-haired fella on this momentous occasion.

Letting Go

Something about pregnancy helps me to focus a little better on the things that are most important to me. I feel a little more relaxed than usual and able to let go of the little things that usually overwhelm my heart and mind. As the years pass, I'm finding it easier to release the things that just don't fit into our priorities as a family. When I start to slide down the slippery slope of involving myself in a myriad of plans and activities that I shouldn't (and I do!), it helps that my husband is willing to gently encourage me in another direction (I try to do the same for him ;)

Which leads me into my random thoughts for today.... getting ready the holidays. I get excited just thinking about it. This time of year awakens anticipation in my heart that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.

Two years ago, I started keeping a notebook for the holidays...an idea inspired by this lady. This wonderful tool has done more to keep me focused on the important stuff than anything else. Now, I have to say I do not follow her ideas and format exactly, but the principle of being prepared and PURPOSEFUL about the holidays struck a chord in my weary heart! I have been known to work myself into such a frenzy trying to get it all in there and would end up exhausted, overwhelmed, cranky with my loved ones and physically sick. There are so many things I want to do each year to make this time of year meaningful and memorable, but I am a human with limited energy and resources...I want to make them count for what's most important in the long run.

There are two things I especially love about this little notebook. One is the list called "traditions" which include subcategories: food, decor, activities and new traditions to try this year (also keeping in mind the things your family does NOT like to do). I also added a subcategory: things I want to try for next year. That last part just frees me y'all! ;) Without fail, about a week before Christmas, I will see ideas on a blog/magazine/tv and think, "oh I love that, I must try that!" And then I try to cram it in when things are gettin' crazy and it's just no fun...and not good for my marital relations, plain and simple! So this "try it next year" section is the spot where I just write it down. All of those wonderful last minute ideas now have a home...most importantly not on my to do list. :)

My second favorite part of this trusty notebook is "ingredients to buy" for those wonderful holiday recipes that we enjoy in November and December. She suggests buying everything you need for favorites way ahead of time. For example, when I was little, my mom used to make sugar cookies and we'd cut them out into shapes and decorate them to share or to save for Santa Claus. This is a tradition I wanted to continue with our children. So, I bought the ingredients ahead and then when we had a free afternoon, I had all of the supplies ready to go, without any stress or pressure-just plain fun. Little things like this are helping me to let go. Replacing the stress and unrealistic expectations I have with a little pre-planning and focus so that I can relax and enjoy making memories with my family and loved ones.

Please share: Do you have any ideas for simplifing life as we prepare for the holidays?

This might be what fall would smell like...

...Pumpkin Cookies!

My mom used to make these for us with raisins in them. Any baked good with pumpkin in the ingredients is a big winner in my book! I needed to bring a snack to church this week, couldn't find my mom's recipe, but used this recipe instead...soft, yummy and super easy to make!

EDITED:

Here's mom's recipe!

Pumpkin Cookies (FBC preschool: makes 3 dozen)

Cream - 1/2 C. butter & 1 1/4 C. brown sugar, add - 2 eggs, 1 can pumpkin & 1 1/2 t. allspice -

Mix well and add 1 C. raisins, add - 2 1/4 C. flour, 4 t. baking powder & 1/2 t. saltStir in 1 t. vanilla

Drop by teaspoon onto greased pan.

Bake 15 min. at 375 degrees