Borland Happenings

Summer Changes

2011-07-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is right. My baby is now a full fledged toddler.

This summer has held many milestones for my little man.

He learned how to sign "more." And literally the next day or two picked up "all done" and "milk."

He turned one.

He is walking. Not just taking steps or toddling from one place to another anymore. Actual walking. Sometimes bordering on running.

Teeth #7 and #8 have broken through.

He has not had milk out of a bottle since Tuesday night. That is two and a half days ago! We were having trouble with this one, but the "cold turkey" method seems to have worked. The first day and a half were pretty rough, but he no longer cries when he is asking for milk and sees you bring out his big boy cup. He now reaches for it and just starts to drink.

We are still a little rough when it comes to solid foods, but he is making progress. As long as I mash it with a fork a little first, he will eat mixed veggies. And last night at VBS he actually ate sloppy joe! This is a big deal because meat has REALLY been a struggle for us!

He had his second haircut.

He is learning to mimic things more and more! He likes to try to put his shoes on (or Mom and Dad's), brush his hair, and put the phone up to his ear. He sings and dances all the time : )

Asking for more Sloppy Joe at VBS : )

Bear With Me...

2011-07-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

Who really knows why, but after a six month plus absence, I am thinking about returning to this blog again. Maybe try and give it a different feel, who knows? I still maintain that my life is just not that interesting, but we'll see...

The Teacher Has Become the Student... Wait, That

2011-01-11T00:00:00.002-06:00

So as of today, I am a grad student. Am I crazy?? Can I juggle my already crazy life AND a grad school class at the same time?? Well, we are about to find out...

I am doing an online program, the Reading/Writing Specialist MA.Ed., through the University of the Cumberlands. Some of my friends are doing this same program, which always helps!

I am not completely crazy, though... UC offers most of the classes in bi-terms. I am only taking one class January - March because I also have to plan a District Governor's Cup competition for my academic team the last Saturday in February. From March to May, I am registered for two classes. This means, by the end of May, I should be 9 hours in to a 30 hour program!

Jan - March: 1.) The Modern Elementary School
March - May: 2.) Curriculum Management & Assessment
3.) Reading & Writing Foundations

I will keep you posted on how it goes. Wish me luck!!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-01-03T00:00:00.000-06:00

Last week ended up being a pretty crazy week! We spent a lot of time with family and ate with Jeff's parents a few nights. So this week we are going to have some of the meals that I had planned for last week!

Dinners:

chicken tetrazini
lasagna
burgers
hot dogs and french fries
chicken tenders

Lunches: (back to work now, so no more big lunches!)

sandwiches and chips
salad
chicken tenders

And for Jacob... we will continue with squash and by the end of the week should be able to start with some green veggies!

Goals

2010-12-31T00:00:00.002-06:00

My two favorite months are August and January. I love these months because they mark the beginning of the school year and the beginning of the calendar year. I just love the feeling of a nice, clean, fresh start.

I was really inspired by Dave Ramsey's podcast on January 4th, 2010. So inspired that I listened to it again today. Here are some of his points that really stuck out to me:

On average, resolutions last about 45 days - That's about to Valentine's Day.

So what should we do? Don't make resolutions - set goals! The difference is that goals are specific and determined. If you wanna "change your entire freakin life," not just 45 days of it, then make goals!

Goals should:
1.) Be Specific
2.) Be Measurable
3.) Be YOUR Goal
4.) Have a Time Limit
5.) Be Put in Writing

To read more about what Dave says about the importance of setting goals, read his Goal Setting 101 here.

My goals are pretty personal, but I will share parts of them here. All of my goals can be pretty much be put into five "BIG" goals (in no particular order):

Grow Closer to the Lord
Be a Better Wife/Mom
Take Better Care of Myself
Be a Better Steward of my Money
Be a Better Teacher

I realize that these are not very measurable, but I promise they will be. My plan is to make smaller, measurable goals that fit into these bigger goals. I am still trying to flesh these goals out. In the meantime, I will leave you with these quotes:

Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed." Cavat Roberts

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin

"Decide what you are going to do differently this year. Otherwise this is going to be just another year. What kind of wimpified existence is just another year??" Dave Ramsey

Christmas Presents : )

2010-12-30T00:00:00.000-06:00

A few of my highlights:

Reversible Tote in Night and Day

Get Carried Away Tote in Purple Punch

A Busy Body Book

A few of Jacob's highlights:

And of course Daddy got some tools that I cannot even begin to tell you about, but I think his favorite gifts were probably these:

Matching Alabama jerseys : )

Crunchy Cheese Sticks

2010-12-29T00:00:00.000-06:00

I like these crunchy cheese sticks, but not the way my husband does. He LOVES them. I am always asking him for suggestions while meal planning, but it's really more like pulling teeth. So this week, when he suggested these, I called up his momma and got the recipe. It usually takes me several attempts to get her recipes right, but I think I nailed this one on the first try. : )

1/2 cup butter

2 cups flour

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (then I added about 1/16 more)

4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp salt

Beat ingredients well, then add 5 tbsps cold water (I added a few tablespoons more).
Roll mixture into a ball and refrigerate about ten minutes.
Roll out until pretty thin, but not too thin. (Vague, I know, but really just about1/4 inch.)
Cut into strips. (I used a pizza cutter.)
Place on cookie sheet and bake in preheated 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes, or until brown on top. (I baked mine for almost 20 minutes because the hubby likes them crispy.)

Voila! You have yourself a nice batch of cheese sticks. We ate ours with chicken noodle soup.

Meal Plan Monday

2010-12-27T00:00:00.001-06:00

I know! I can't believe it either! I haven't done one of these posts since I got pregnant and didn't know what would make me drool with delight or, well, you know...

Anyway, here are the meals I have planned for my family this week:

Dinners:

lasagna
bbq chicken with mac-n-cheese
teriyaki chicken stir fry
burgers
chicken tetrazinni
tacos
chicken noodle soup with homemade crunchy cheese sticks

Lunches: (bigger deal this week since we will be home during the day this week)

sandwiches and chips
chili cheese fries
pizza rolls
salad
hot dogs
potstickers
chicken tenders

And for Jacob... we will continue with sweet potatoes, which he loves, while trying to sneak in some carrots, which he absolutely does not love. Also, by the end of the week we may be ready to try squash.

Bumbo Potato

2010-12-15T00:00:00.001-06:00

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2010-11-30T00:00:00.001-06:00

It's never too early to foster a love of reading...

Reading to his moose.

Apparently, the caterpillar wasn't the only one who was very hungry!!

So Thankful

2010-11-27T00:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

RAWR! The scariest dinosaur you've ever seen...

Hanging out at Richpond's Fall Fellowship.

Trick-or-Treating. First stop? Great Grandmother's!

Bouncing around after Trick-or-Treating.

Moose Ridge

2010-10-17T00:00:00.003-05:00

Showing off his cute new outfit from Aunt Heather.

I have the hardest time getting him to smile

at the camera, but this morning it was not trouble at all!

Pumpkin Pickin at Jackson's

2010-10-16T00:00:00.002-05:00

This weekend, my parents came to town to visit and the weather was perfect for a trip to the orchard. We enjoyed some yummy fall treats and took lots of pictures. I already can't wait for next year, when I am sure Jacob will have more fun. This year he tolerated having his picture taken five hundred times, but that was about it. Maybe next year we can pick our own pumpkin and play on the playground. : )

Reading to Grandpa

Not too thrilled to be on the ground

Hanging out in the Bjorn

Tummy Time

2010-10-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

So Cute!

Jacob - 4 Month Check Up

2010-10-12T00:00:00.003-05:00

This morning I took Jacob in to get his fourth month shots and check-up. Here are his stats:

Weight:
2 mos: 13 lbs 8 1/2 oz
4 mos: 16 lbs 10 oz
Heigt:
2 mos: 23 1/2 in
4 mos: 27 1/2 in
Head:
2 mos: 39.8 cm
4 mos: 43 com

Can you believe how much our baby boy has grown?? He is in the 85th percentile for his weight, and is off the charts for his height! That's right, well over 100! He's grown almost 1/2 inch a week since his last visit! Other than that, our not-so-little man got a clean bill of health. The shots were no fun, of course, but he got over them quickly. Last time they just made him really sleepy for a couple of days. We're praying for more of the same this time around.

Sleeping off those pesky shots.

Jacob is smiling all over the place and is laughing more and more. He wants to sit up all the time, but cannot do it on his own yet. It's not from lack of trying though. If you hold him too flat in your lap or lay him on the couch, he strains and strains trying to pull his neck up. He's also very close to rolling over from back to front. He can do it if he is on his mat and has just that slight elevation from the mat to the carpet, but he can't do it otherwise. Rolling from front to back, he doesn't seem very interested in at all. He reaches for things and grabs them and won't let go. Seriously. The other day he grabbed a hold of his octopus and held on all the way from Grandma's, through Target, through WalMart, and home. He didn't let go until I pried it from his fingers to get him out of the carseat!

He is at such a cute, fun age! It's like he learns something new every few days. I can't wait to see what he learns to do next!

Overalls - So Cute!

2010-10-10T15:29:00.001-05:00

This weekend we celebrated our good friend Stuart's big 3-0 with a cookout put together by his amazing wife, Jenny. I was packing up Jacob's clothes the other day, and found this pair of overalls. I was so sad because they were so cute and I thought the weather would stay too cool for him to ever wear them. But, as luck would have it, we had beautiful low 90 degree weather this weekend so Jacob got to wear these cute OshKosh's after all : )

He sure does love that octopus!

Smooches from Spencer-Man : )

How Does He Do That??

2010-09-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last night, I put Jacob to bed like this...

And when I went to wake him up this morning, I found him like this...

How does he move around this much?? All he does is kick his feet up and scoot. It looks like rolling over is going to be just around the corner...

It Really Should Be So Much Easier...

2010-09-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

So lately I have started to feel pretty good about myself. (Which if you know me, is totally out of the ordinary.) Since Jeff has started his gluten-free lifestyle (trust me, it's WAY more than just a diet!), I have had to become more creative in the kitchen and have had to learn to make a lot more things from scratch. Gone are the days of coming home and just throwing a pizza in the oven or baking up some frozen chicken tenders.

But last night I had a major blow to my self-esteem. It seems there is at least one thing that I am just simply not good at. Wait, that's an understatement. I flat out can't do it. What is this incredibly hard task I cannot accomplish, you may ask...

Melting Cheese.

Seriously.

Last night I wanted to make this Mexican dish that is just cheesy rice and chicken (think Is Special if you are familiar with Puerto's here in BG). I have tried it with Tostito's queso dip, but it's just a little too spicy for my taste. I've tried it with shredded Mexican cheese, but that gets all stringy. So last night I tried it with a block of Mexican cheese. I tried melting it in the microwave. Not good. I added milk. Still not good. So I put it in the skillet with the chicken. It cooked the cheese, but did not melt it. Weird, I know. I wish I had taken a picture. It was just a big blob of cooked cheese.

You would think it would be so simple. I've learned how to bake my own bread and cook chili without a mix and have even given up cream-of-anything soups (formerly a staple of all of my recipes!), but I just can't melt cheese.

Any ideas???

Jacob's Birth

2010-09-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

I am one of those weird people who cares a lot about order. For example, you would NEVER find me reading a book from a series out of order, even if it were the type where the order did not matter. So now that I feel sane enough to blog again, I just can't pick up and start right where we are now. I have to at least make some attempt to start from the beginning. So, three months later, here goes...

(Please note that I am trying to summarize something as big as the birth of my child! Pretty impossible, but I will do my best. And I promise to try and leave out most of the gory details!)

I went to bed Wednesday night, June 9th, with big plans for the next day. I had just been to the doctor and was told that if Jacob did not decide to come on his own, the doctor would induce me the next Wednesday (June 16th). Great, I thought, and immediately began making plans. Well, we all know what the Lord does when you make plans...

I woke up around 6:15 on Thursday. When I rolled over to look at the clock, it felt like I had used the bathroom a little. (Now, if you've never been nine months pregnant, this may seem weird to you, but if you've been there, you know leaking out a little is not only possible, but kinda likely. It's sad, but true.) I rolled back over to get out of bed and felt it happen again, but this time I was certain that I was not using the bathroom. At this point, my heart began to race. I had heard my friend, Katy, describe what it felt like when her water broke and this seemed like exactly what she had described. I jumped out of bed, tripped over the dog, and ran to the bathroom. Almost as soon as I hit the tile (thank goodness!) it was clear to me that my water had indeed broken. (Just so you know, there was no big GUSH like you see on tv.) I yelled for Jeff and tried to put myself back together. Once he was convinced I was not imagining things, we sprang into action. Both parents were called, last minute essentials were packed, dogs were loaded and we were off to drop off the dogs and then head to the hospital.

As we drove to the hospital, my contractions grew stronger and more intense. It didn't help at all that I was a nervous wreck. I did start to calm down once I was settled into a bed and had met the L&D nurses. Let me tell you, those ladies were a Godsend. There was no way I could have done it without them. They were so sweet and patient and encouraging and just all around kind. It was like having the most loving people waiting on you hand and foot. And almost as soon as we were settled in, our dear friend Stuart was able to stop by and pray with us.

Shortly after I was settled in they started me on pitocin to make my labor progress a little faster. My contractions were getting stronger by the minute on their own, so you can only imagine what the drugs did for me! I was told the anesthesiologist was on his way up for another lady down the hall so I went ahead and ordered my epidural. Getting the epidural was zero fun. For some reason, it wouldn't work in the first spot he tried, so he had to move to another column and try again. Definitely painful, but definitely worth it.

Once the epidural was in place, the real waiting game began. I was able to relax a little and visit with family. Which is a good thing too, because we sure had a lot there! (A few friends and some people from church stopped by too, but by the time they came by, I was unable to visit with them.)

I progressed steadily for a while until I was 9 cm. You are supposed to get to 10 before you start to push, but for some reason I was just stuck at 9. I tried laying in all different positions, but nothing work. The nurses called the doctor and it was decided that I should just go ahead and try and push passed it. So around 2:00, almost 8 hours after my water had broken that morning, the pushing started.

Let me tell you something about labor. I don't care how many stories you hear or books you read or birthing classes you attend. You may think you understand, but you really don't. Pushing is so incredibly hard. I was WORN OUT, literally exhausted, after just a couple of pushes. Since I wasn't fully dilated, I was able to rest a little between pushes and only had to push when I felt the urge. This went on for about an hour. Jeff was so sweet and must have counted to ten for me about a million times. He held my hand and fed me spoonfuls of ice and read me scripture when I became too anxious. (Jacob would not be here had it not been for Phil 4:4-9!)

I could tell when I had finally pushed past that last centimeter because the urge to push became constant. I pushed and pushed and pushed until I really thought there was no way I could push even another second. But somehow, someway, I found the strength. I was sweating and breathing fast and shaking and my eyes were watering and my head was pounding and I was flat out exhausted. I was running through my mind every bit of encouraging scripture I could think of.

The nurses kept telling my how close I was getting and how soon I would have a baby boy. Thinking of seeing my precious baby boy was literally the only thing that kept me going. At some point, the doctor arrived and mentioned that if I did not have him soon, we may have to do a C-Section because I physically would not be able to push much longer. Just hearing the words C-Section gave me the boost that I needed. I wanted to avoid a C-Section, of course, but after so much pushing there was no way I was going to cave and end up not having a traditional delivery. I was determined.

My epidural was turned down to help me know where and how to push. My delivery room was literally full of people. I had Jeff on one side and a nurse on the other, each pushing against my feet. Two nurses were standing over me and rubbing down on my stomach. The doctor and two more nurses were in front of me, trying to help deliver him and there was a nurse waiting for Jacob at the incubator. After a few more pushes with my newfound strength, the pain became unbearable. I felt like my body was literally on fire and that I was about to break open. Jeff was screaming numbers in my ear as he counted to ten. The nurses were all cheering me on and the doctor was yelling for me to give one more big push. The pain was taking over and I was no longer in control. I could hear myself screaming out in pain, but it was like I was listening to someone else making all that noise. I pushed harder than I had pushed all day, simply because I knew I had to get out of that pain. I felt a huge wave of relief for a few seconds before the pain returned. The doctor told me Jacob's head was out, but that I had to keep pushing. I pushed as hard as I possibly could until all of a sudden, it was over.

You could tell the attitude of the whole room had changed. It was like every person in there was able to relax for a second. I looked down and saw the yucky blue mess that was my son. It seemed like forever before I heard him take that first breath and cry, but it must have only been a few seconds because none of the staff was panicked. They wiped him down just a little bit, wrapped him up, and sat him on my chest. He was so warm and soft and just plain unbelievable. Jeff came up and we loved on him together. Not for long though, because then they had to take him to the incubator to get him more cleaned up, measured, etc. Then I got him back for a few minutes for some skin-to-skin before Jeff was able to walk him out to show off to our families.

I was left behind to rest in the delivery room while the doctor sewed me back up. As worn out as I was, and as much pain as I had gone through (and was still in!), I had never been more happy in my life. There really are no words to describe that feeling. Jacob was here and appeared to be very healthy. All those months of pregnancy and all the years of prayers had finally become a reality. Our God is good.

Suggestions Please...

2010-09-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

I want to start blogging again (when I find the time!) and I want my blog to be nicer looking. Any suggestions??? It seems like everyone else's is so cute!

2010-07-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Abandoned Blog,

I am so sorry that you have been forgotten recently. I was busy giving birth to our beautiful son, caring for said son, moving to another apartment, and teaching a week of summer school. So you see, it's not that I have not had a lot to blog about, just that I have had so much to blog about that I haven't had time to actually do it!

But I promise that I will try to do better. If nothing else, I can at least post pictures and videos for friends and family : )

Sincerely,

One Tired Woman

Baby Borland Update - Almost 38 Weeks

2010-06-04T00:00:00.001-05:00

May 28th, almost 37 weeks

A Ticking Time Bomb. That's what the doctor called me at my appointment Tuesday. Nice, huh??

But really, that's exactly what I feel like. Saturday night, Jeff and I made another trip to labor and delivery due to some very sharp pain in my lower left side. Once we got there, though, the pain seemed to be the least of our worries! Being hooked up to the monitors revealed that Jacob was doing fine, but that my contractions were very consistent. An exam also revealed that I was dilated to 3 cm and 80% effaced. This seemed like a pretty big deal to me since the Monday before I was barely 1 cm and only 50%! When the nurse told me I might be in labor, I immediately started crying. I just wasn't ready!! Jeff, on the other hand, was amazing and supportive through the whole night. I think he's just ready for Jacob to get here!

Tuesday afternoon, my doctor's appointment revealed no more progress. This is where I received my "ticking time bomb" diagnosis. Then, Thursday rolled around and I was convinced I was in labor. I had solid contractions every five minutes or so for almost two hours. I called Jeff and had him come home from work a little early so we could go to Labor & Delivery. An exam showed that I was dilated to a little passed three, which means I had progressed a little, but not very much. After the exam, my contractions became more painful and were coming every three minutes. This lasted for about another hour and a half, then... NOTHING. Out of nowhere, the contractions just slowed down, became less painful, and then STOPPED. Completely stopped. The doctor gave me a sleeping pill (which I DON'T recommend) and sent me home for the night to rest. So... here we are.

So now I am hoping he will either come today, or wait until next Tuesday or Wednesday. The reason being that Jeff has a colonoscopy on Monday. I realize this could be rescheduled if needed, but we just don't want him to be in the middle of his prep on Sunday and then have me go into labor. So pray for Jeff as he prepares for his test, and pray for all of us as we prepare for Jacob's arrival.

Just for fun I've included pictures of some of the fun things we purchased last weekend - our stroller/car seat combo and our pack'n'play : )

2010-05-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

By the time this posts, I will be out of school for the summer!!!!!!!!!!

Well, almost. I still have a lot of cleaning, cumulative records, and progress monitoring folders to take care of. But that is all work I can do ALONE in my room, listening to music and relaxing.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my job and I am soooo grateful that I survived another spring without being pink slipped. But.... after spending 36+ weeks with these kids, we're both ready to go our separate ways (especially some of them!). It will be nice for the kids AND the teachers to have almost 2 months off to refuel and recharge.

Now I just have to finish getting everything ready for this baby to get here...

Welcome to the World, Colbie!

2010-05-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Colbie Brooke Owens

May 21, 2010

7 lbs 10 oz

20 1/2 in

Congratulations go out to our friends Joel and Erin!! Little Colbie was due on the 16th, but wanted to hang out in her comfy home as long as possible. Erin was induced on Friday, but after 16 hours ended up having to have a C-section. We made the trip to Nashville to visit on Sunday, and she is BEAUTIFUL! And check out that hair! We are so excited that Jacob will already have so many friends close to his age when he arrives : )

My Sweet Nephew

2010-05-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

Isaac, looking too cute in his hat! How is it possible that he looks so big already??

The Final Countdown!

2010-05-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

One month from today! I can hardly believe it, but (Lord willing) we should meet our son within the next month! I cannot even begin to describe for you how excited/anxious I am.

Please pray for us as we do our best to prepare for his arrival. Also, please pray for a safe delivery : )

Baby Borland Update - 35 Weeks

2010-05-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

I realized that I have been updating on things like showers and the progress of the nursery, but have neglected to update on our actual pregnancy.

I am now 35 weeks. Jacob (fingers crossed) should be here within the next five weeks. He is due one month from tomorrow! I can hardly believe it. Yes, it has been challenging, but in so many ways it seems like just last week that I found out God had blessed us with a baby. And now, here we are!

The past three weeks have provided two Friday night trips to the hospital. The first turned out to be bladder stones (I will spare you the details, and trust me, you'll be thankful), the second turned out to be nothing but a very swollen foot. Last Friday I came home from school and propped my feet up in the recliner. This is what I saw:

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. I had a very fat left foot. My other foot was slightly swollen, but nothing worse than usual and my hands were not swollen at all. I propped it up for about an hour, but the swelling did not seem to be going down at all. I finally broke down and called the on call number. Luckily, my doctor was the one on call. She said that it was probably nothing, but wanted me to go in and have an ultrasound done on my leg just to make sure that it was not a blood clot. Thankfully, it was not. I went home that night and propped it up for hours, but nothing made the swelling go down. (Thankfully I have the greatest husband who made me stay down. Praise the Lord I have not had to do bed-rest! I don't think I would take well to it!) When I woke up Saturday morning, most of the swelling was gone and luckily, it has not yet returned. Dr. L said that I could favor that foot more when I am standing, or that an old injury could just make that foot more susceptible to swelling. Who knows?

Speaking of swollen feet - I am so fortunate to be blessed with the world's most amazing guidance counselor, who, after hearing about my swollen foot on facebook, arranged to have someone in my room with me to help circulate during testing. This week my body has not been nearly as tired at the end of the day and the day-to-day swelling I usually have has been drastically reduced. Thank you LeeAnn!

I am now going to the doctor weekly from here on out. As of Monday, I had not yet dilated or effaced. This is good news as 1.) I would really, really like to make it through the school year! and 2.) I want his little lungs and everything else to be in the best shape possible. After June 1st, Jacob can come anytime he is good and ready!!

Please continue to pray for every member of our family : )

Birth Record

2010-05-18T08:47:00.003-05:00

I posted a few choices for Jacob's birth record here. My friend, Rebecca saw them and then recommended this one. I fell in love on the spot and this one matches his room a little better than the others. I ordered it this morning! Thanks Rebecca!

Georgetown Shower

2010-05-15T00:00:00.003-05:00

Well, we were an hour late and I'm surprise we didn't need an ark to get there, but Paula and I finally made it to Georgetown on Sunday, May 2nd for my second baby shower. Thankfully, this one was mainly family and church friends who might as well be family, so they didn't mind waiting on me so much. My mom did an awesome job with the food (barbeque and such!) so at least everyone had something to eat while they waited. It also helped that Timothy and Katie got to come and brought my beautiful new nephew, Isaac, who, as you can imagine, kept everyone occupied. : )

It was so great to spend time with so many friends and family that I do not get to see nearly as often as I would like. And Jacob certainly got some nice presents! We especially appreciate all of the diapers and wipes!

Pictures to follow when I get them from my sister...

Nursery Letters

2010-05-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

The beautiful ladies of Kindergarten made our nursery letters for us and they turned out A-MAZING!! I love, love, love them and cannot wait to see what they look like on the wall. These ladies are so stinkin' creative it makes me sick. They took Jacob's quilt and made them match exactly. My nursery letters would have been nothing more than stick people if it had been up to me to make them. Jacob is so lucky to have such talented people in his life!

April Books

2010-05-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know I'm a little late...

One of my favorite things to do in the whole wide world is to talk about books. I love, love, love to hear about books people are reading - why they're reading it, do they like it or not and why, would they recommend it, and so on. And I love to talk about the books that I have read. If it's good I want everyone I know to read it. And if it's not so good, well then I don't want my my friends to waste their precious time reading it.

That's one of the reasons I love the blog world so much. There are people out there just like me! People who do not think it is a huge waste of time to make reading lists and to set reading goals and to share with each other about books. And even though I love reading "Book Blogs," I would still much rather sit across from you on the couch and goosh over a book than write it up in paragraphs. Partly because when I blog about a book I never really feel like I am really doing it justice.

So here's my solution. Instead of pulling teeth to write something eloquent about each and every book I read, I will instead do a monthly summary. Some books may get paragraphs, some may get sentences, and some may get bulleted lists. And no promises that any of them will qualify as eloquent!

So here goes April...

1.) Mommy Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood by Jenny McCarthy (04/04)

Loved this one, but not quite as much as BabyLaughs. Still really funny, though!

2.) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (04/08)

Loved it!! I'm on the waiting list for the sequel and I can hardly stand the wait!

3.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (04/13) audiobook

I loved his writing style. I enjoy audiobooks, but I want to actually read another one of his books just to appreciate the style.

4.) Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore (04/15)
Really great book! I won't say a lot here because I plan to do a separate post just for this one!

5.) Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (04/15)

An enjoyable read. I think students in the intermediate and middle level grades would really enjoy it and learn a lot too. She definitely puts a lot of information in there, even though it's disguised in

6.) Number the Stars (04/22)

I remembered reading this book in fifth grade, but I didn't remember much about it. Pretty much all I remembered was that it was about the Nazis, a young girl, and that it took place in Copenhagen.

This is a quick read (like, only 2-3 sittings), but is still a really great book. It tells the story of two neighboring families, one Jewish and one not, and how one family risks it all to save the other. I also loved how it gave details of everyday life of people living in the Nazi occupied countries of WWII. For example, the book describes how the families deal with rations on food, leather, and electricity, the way they have to use bomb curtains at night, and how they deal with the presence of Nazi soldiers on their streets.

Students in the intermediate grades would not only enjoy this book, but would learn a lot too. (Shoot, I learned some things! For example, did you know Denmark destroyed its own naval fleet just so the Germans couldn't use it?) Boys and girls can enjoy it, but I think girls will be more affected by the strong female lead characters.

7.) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (04/30)

Maybe it was because everyone talked so highly of this book, but for me, it just kind of fell flat. I mean, it was an okay book and all, just not this great book that I was expecting.

The book follows a boy who, as a baby, somehow eludes a murderer by escaping to a graveyard. The inhabitants of the graveyard (yes, ghosts) agree to take him in and raise him. The concept is interesting, but still I was bored for about the first 2/3 of the book. The ending was suspenseful, but not really edge-of-your-seat, can't-put-it-down suspenseful. I have not read any of the Newbery Honor books from this year, but somehow I just don't think that this one is better than the Honors.

Fab Five Friday

2010-04-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

My friend Jenny started posting her Fab Five each week because her friend, Emily, started it up on her blog. Then, our friend Sabrina and now even Nat joined in on the fun. I've taken a hiatus for a week or two, but this week I've managed it!

The point is to highlight the five tangible things that made your week/life fabulous. Here is my list:

1.) Jenny's Chocolate Chip Cheeseball - Had it at my shower over the weekend and have wanted some more ever since! Jenny, you really need to post this recipe on your blog or at least email it to me!

2.) Magic Bean Plant - This was a Christmas gift from my sister that I am just now making use of. Apparently it's a bean plant that grows to have beans that say messages on them. I am not really sure if it will work or not, but definitely hope it does! (The picture below is definitely encouraging!) She actually bought it for Jacob, so I planted it in hopes that it will have sprouted by the time he arrives. You can check out their website here.

3.) Caffeine Free Mountain Dew - I know I have included this in my Fab Five posts before, but they have been super on sale lately and I haven't been able to resist! Luckily I have been good at limiting myself to just one a day (most days, that is!).

4.) Fantastik Cleaner - This is my cleaner of choice for anything and everything. It works wonders, people! I use this to clean up sticky stuff and then follow with one of those magic eraser things. (Ooo - I'll have to remember to put those on the list next week!)

5.) Pictures of Jacob - Of course I will save the best for last! You can see more pics and read about our 3D/4D Ultrasound here. Just in the past day or two I have heard so many stories of babies and mommies who are having problems - some big, some small. It really makes me feel so blessed that as far as I know, the Lord has given us a healthy, strong baby boy. I can never take that for granted.

3D/4D Ultrasound - 32 Weeks

2010-04-28T00:00:00.001-05:00

Here are some beautiful pictures of our 3D/4D Ultrasound. At first I was hesitant to have one of these. It is best if you wait until 28-32 weeks to have one of these done because the baby needs to have some fat on them. And I kind of figured that if I could wait that long, I kind of wanted to wait the extra time and just be surprised at what he looked like when he got here. (Even though I know I will still be so surprised no matter what!) But then my super-awesome in-laws offered it to us as a gift. I still wasn't completely on board until Jeff reminded me that this would be a good opportunity to make sure everything was still okay and to let us know if there was anything we needed to prepare for. (I sometimes forget how smart the man I married is!)

So Saturday after my shower, we headed off to have the ultrasound done. Here are some highlights:

Jeff, his mom, his dad, my mom, and my sister all got to be there! They project it up onto a big screen and it is so neat!
Our boy is still a boy and is estimated to be a healthy 4 pounds 3 ounces!! No wonder my back hurts!
He has his daddy's nose. : )
He has the cutest little lips.
We got to see him yawn and suck on his hand.
His adorable little foot was next to his face - he's starting to get super squished in there!
He already has a little bit of hair.
He got upset with us and started throwing his head backward into my hip - his first witnessed temper tantrum.
The lady who did it was awesome! I would recommend PreciousView to anyone in and around the Bowling Green area!

BG "Misfit" Shower

2010-04-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend we had our first baby shower, given by my good friends Jenny and Tiffany, along with Paula, Jeff's mom. Tiffany playfully coined this my "misfit" shower since it was for the people in Bowling Green who love me, but do not fit into any other "shower group." The shower was awesome and so much fun! I wish I had taken some more pictures of the food since it was A-mazing and the cake since it was too cute! (Jenny - pretty sure when Jacob gets here and I start to have (more) mental breakdowns, I'm gonna want some of that Chocolate Chip Cheeseball to help get me through!) Anyway, it was great to get together with people who love and care for me and my growing family. Check out some pics...

Lots of fun books from Amanda!

Hysterical onesie from Brooke. Auntie Brooke and Auntie Andrea have a war going on as to who will be Jacob's favorite. The back says "Sorry Auntie Andrea."

With Aunt Heather : )

Spring Reading Thing 2010 - Progress Week 5 (1/3 of the Way Through!)

2010-04-24T00:00:00.003-05:00

For my complete list, click HERE.

Week 5: April 24th

* Finished this week:

Number the Stars

* Currently reading:

The Graveyard Book (86/307)

The Happiest Baby on the Block (1/260)
* Total Books Read:11
* Total Pages Read: 1695 pages

Week 4: April 17th - Lots of cleaning : ) = Not so much reading : /

* Finished this week:
The Book Thief

Get Out of That Pit

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
* Currently reading:

The Graveyard Book (10/307)
* Total Books Read: 10
* Total Pages Read: 1482 pages

Fab Five Friday

2010-04-23T13:00:00.002-05:00

The point is to highlight the five tangible things that made your week/life fabulous. Here is my list:

1.) Post-Its - Who doesn't love 'em??

2.) My Mini-Accordian File - The best way to keep all of my coupons and cash envelopes straight in my purse. (And no, this is not mine!)

3.) Pocket Dockets from SimpleMom - She has a lot of useful downloads on this page. I use the Pocket Docket and use one side for school and one side for home.

4.) Chocolate Ice Cream - Need I say more??

5.) Sunglasses - I FINALLY made it back to the eye doctor and now have contact lenses. Pretty much the whole reason I wear contacts in the summer is just so I can wear sunglasses! (And no, these also are not mine.)

Birth Record Choices

2010-04-22T00:00:00.001-05:00

Jacob's room is being done in kind of a baby animals theme, so the first one really doesn't match too closely with the theme, but that's not extremely important. I think the second one is really cute, but I really like the colors in the third one. Are any too girly??? Any comments???

How Was I Supposed to Know??

2010-04-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

WARNING - This post may prove to be TMI!

I know I posted yesterday that my doctor's appointment was pretty uneventful, however, that turned out to be untrue. I did mention something to my doctor that I did not mention to the entire blog world...

During my frequent trips to the bathroom, I've noticed some pretty weird color changes lately. I mean, I drink sooo much water that when I go, it's usually clear and copious (I know you've been dying to know that, right??). So when it is not, I notice. So even though I thought it was silly and that my doctor would just laugh and tell me to drink more water, I decided to mention it. He did tell me to drink more water, but luckily he decided to be cautious and order some tests just in case.

It is such a good thing that I did not let my feelings of stupidity stand in the way because, lo and behold, I had a urinary tract infection! I have no idea how you can have one without suffering from immense pain, but apparently you can. And actually, I HAD been experiencing some lower stomach and back pain, but I just chalked it up to being pregnant. I mean, how am I supposed to know what is normal for me now and what is not???

But the good news is that now that I have had a few doses of antibiotic (which my doc assures me is safe), I can already tell a huge difference!! I am not having near as much pain in my back and don't feel as much pressure in my lower stomach. I also don't feel like I have to run to the bathroom every 10 minutes (no exaggeration - every 10 minutes!).

So the moral of the story?? Even though I may not really know exactly what is normal and what is not normal for a woman who is 31 weeks pregnant, it is more than okay to trust my instincts when something changes and it is definitely worth mentioning to the doctor, even if it may seem silly at first!

Baby Borland Update - 31 Weeks

2010-04-20T00:00:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe I am 31 weeks along!! Jacob is due 2 months from today! That is so crazy! He could be hear anytime from 7-10 weeks from now!

I am starting to feel that third-semester tiredness. I feel a little sluggish during the day and at night I am usually conked out on the couch by 9:30. My belly is also getting in my way a lot more! Jacob moves a lot and can even nudge me in weird and uncomfortable ways. His favorite place to do this is church, I guess because I am still for so long and in a sitting position. All throughout the sermon Sunday he entertained himself by kneeing his momma in the ribs

Operation Get-Ready-for-Baby is in full swing around Apartment 17. In fact, we just finished a weekend FULL of baby stuff. And this was just a taste of the things to come as our next few weekends are booked with showers and more fun baby stuff.

Saturday we took a four hour birthing class at the hospital. I was really kinda nervous about it! I thought they would make me watch a bunch of horrible videos that I did NOT want to watch and make me feel like a big baby for being scared of labor. Praise the Lord this was not the case at all! The lady who taught the class was really laid back and super sweet. We did watch a few videos and while some did get a little bit graphic, they were nothing compared to the full on birth videos I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I know I have to go through it, but that doesn't mean I want to watch it happening. I thought I would leave the class scared out of my mind, but I actually felt a little bit better about the whole idea when I left. I mean, my body and the baby's body were actually made to do this. And it's gonna happen one way or the other whether I like it or not, so there's really no point in worrying about it any more than necessary. We also had to practice breathing and relaxation techniques. I have the best husband in the world and I would not trade him in for anyone or anything, but let's just say that breathing and relaxation techniques are not his forte.

After our birthing class, we (and by we, I definitely do not mean ME) hauled the baby's dresser over to Jeff's parents' house to work on. Jeff and his dad sanded it down and got it all ready to be primed and painted. Jeff and I went to Lowes and picked out colors. Who knew there were so many shades of red and off-white?? We went with "Quite Red" and "Quail Egg." Sunday the Borland Men primed and painted. It looks great so far, but will need a second coat this weekend and then probably a finish of some kind. Jacob is going to have the best looking dresser around! Pictures to come once it is completely finished!

In between putting the coats on the dresser, Jeff and I went to an Expectant Parent Fair at the hospital. The main reason we wanted to go was because we were supposed to be allowed to tour through labor and delivery and meet some of the staff. Needless to say, we didn't get to. Labor and Delivery, as well as the rooms you recover in after, were all FULL! So no tours for us. We did go around to a lot of tables and pick up some freebies and a lot of information. Hopefully some of it will prove useful. If not, the event will have turned out to be a complete waste of time for us. : /

Monday I had my 31 week appointment. Because my regular doctor had to cancel, I got to meet one of the other doctors in the practice. This was nice since if he is on call, he may be the one that actually delivers our baby. Jacob's heartbeat was solid and strong as ever. : ) My blood pressure was even down from 3 weeks ago! I guess abandoning the salt shaker was good for me after all. I will go back in two weeks this time, at 33 weeks.

Some Things the Lord Promises

2010-04-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Warning - Rambling Follows. I am not trying to preach at anyone, I just want to share some things I have been meditating on recently.

Lately I have been making more of an effort to incorporate Scripture into my prayers. I have found that the more intentional I am about it, the easier it gets. Sometimes verses pop into my head (or rather, my heart) while I am praying and I know it has to be the LORD because they are sometimes verses that I do not know very well or have not thought about for quite a while.

I will not unload on you all of the things that I have been struggling with lately, but let's just say that I have been kind of anxious lately. As I was praying about some of these things, the Lord really laid Proverbs 3:5 right out in front of me. I couldn't even remember where exactly it came from and had to look it up. The next day I was praying through that verse again, when I felt the other two verses laid on my heart.

To me it pretty much breaks down like this.
The Lord asks us to do some things, and promises us things in return.
1.) Trust in Him, not your own measly thoughts, submit to him in every area = He will make your paths straight. Notice how it doesn't say he will make your paths easy. The Lord never promises us an easy road, but I for sure want to be on his straight path!
2.) Delight in Him and you will have what your heart desires. I have heard people twist this one around A LOT. About 99.9% of the time, my heart of flesh desires things that are ABSOLUTELY not good for me. But that's the problem. When I truly delight in the Lord, the desires of my heart will be his desires, not the fleshly ones that bring destruction.
3.) Don't be anxious! Pray with thanksgiving and give it over to him. In return, he will give us this awesome peace that we cannot even comprehend! This is one of those verses that pretty much explains itself. And I don't know about you, but I want some of that peace!!

So here's what I'm praying for right now:

That the Lord would help me trust in him completely and help me to stop trying to think my own way through things.
That he will help me seek him in all my ways (everything I do).
That he will show me how to truly delight in him.
That he will help me be obedient by being anxious over nothing
That he will help me to remember to submit my requests to him and to do so with thanksgiving.
Above all to know that I cannot do any of this on my own and need his strength to work miracles in little old me every step of the way.
That he will give me patience to know that all of this happens on his timetable - not mine.

And because of his Word, here's what I know I will get in return:

He will make my paths straight.
He will give me the desires of my heart.
My heart and mind will be guarded by a peace so awesome that I cannot even understand it!

Finding Time to Read

2010-04-14T00:00:00.001-05:00

I have had several people ask me how I find time to read so much. This question always makes me laugh, because there are so many people who are able to read WAY more than I can and I myself wonder how they do it. I mean, I LOVE to read, but I don't think there is anyway I could sit for long enough to read as much as some of the other bloggers I follow! I just get too antsy!

Anyway, the answer to the question is I really am not sure how I find time to read. Some weeks I feel like I have a lot of time and am able to read a lot, but then some weeks I feel like I barely had any time at all. What the difference is, I have no idea. So here are some thoughts about how I manage to find the time to read...

I ALWAYS have a book with me. I usually carry a big purse so that I am able to stick a book in it. Even if I am reading a big, thick book I will still carry a smaller one with me that I read whenever I can. This allows me to read in places like the bank drive-thru line, waiting rooms, and yes, even the checkout line at WalMart.
By the time I get home in the afternoons, get the car unloaded, get any groceries put away, and get the dogs out, I need a break! I find that even if I have a lot of work to do, giving myself 20-30 minutes to just sit and do something I enjoy actually makes me more productive when that time is over. If I try and just work straight through, my body complains and my mind whines and I'm grumpy and just not very productive. Granted, some days I get home too late or have something important to do and don't get this much-needed time. I loathe those days. (And yes, I do know that once Jacob arrives and grows up I may not get this time either. Just let me enjoy it while it lasts!)
Jeff and I do watch a lot of TV together, but some shows are just a little to much for me (i.e. 24) or I am just not into them like he is. While he watches these shows, I usually clean or read.
AM - I try to make it a priority to take a few minutes before I leave the house in the morning to spend some time in Scripture. Sometimes if I am reading a good Faith-Building book, I will read some of it here too. Most days we're talking just a few minutes here though.
PM - On nights when I don't fall asleep on the couch, I have to unwind before bed. I do spend time in Scripture/Faith-Building books, but some days my brain will just not turn off and I have to read for 30 minutes or more.

So there you have it. It's not a master plan or anything. Really it just comes down to the fact that reading is something I love to do and I just make time for it. Even if it's just a little bit here and there, it adds up.

The War is (Still) On

2010-04-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

I posted here about my Spring Break Battle Plan to get my whole house clean. Needless to say... it didn't happen. I did get a lot of work done, though, even if it was not as much as I wanted. Here are some things I did get done:

A LOT of laundry

A LOT of clothes sorted to donate to Hope House

All of my clothes out of the baby's room

All of my books out of the baby's room

Our bedroom cleaned

The laundry closet clean/organized

The living room and kitchen straightened

I do plan on finishing up the rest of my battle plan. Slowly, but surely I will get it all done. I found my biggest problem was that I had to keep resting because I got pretty tired and my back would start to ache. I think stopping for plenty of rest is acceptable - I am 30 weeks pregnant now!

Also taken care of on my break - a lot of work to my poor Jetta!

The week before Spring Break, my car started doing this thing where it would periodically die on me at stoplights. I knew it was something to get taken care of, but I wasn't that worried about it because it always restarted and some days it wouldn't even do it at all! But then, it died on me while driving down the road! Luckily I was on my way to meet Jeff somewhere so he was able to come and get me.

To make a long story short, my car was towed to one place and then driven to two others over the span of four days to have the following done:

oil added

oil pan screw replaced

oil changed

sensor on crank shaft replaced

lug stud replaced

new tire

There are still a few more things that need to be taken care of, but they are going to have to wait! At least my car was able to make the trip to see my beautiful new nephew! But that's a whole other post...

My Nephew's Here!

2010-04-06T16:22:00.004-05:00

Isaac James Riley

8 lbs, 21 inches

April 05, 2010 at 9:25am

Here he is with my dad. More pictures to come after our visit : )

The War is On

2010-04-05T00:00:00.001-05:00

There is a war waging in Apartment 17. And right now I am losing. Big time. But all that is about to change...

I have a Spring Break Battle Plan. I've broken down each room of my house into a to-do list. If each item is completed, my house should be CLEAN. Not just clean, CLEAN.

Now I am not one of those women who gets all torn up over the state of my house. I want people to feel comfortable when they come over, not as if they are afraid to get something dirty. And most days I choose time with my husband sitting in front of the tv than cleaning up something that will just get dirty again. And most of the time I don't even feel too guilty about it. But with a baby on the way, I feel as though some things may have to change. For one, the time will come quicker than I realize when I will have an almost-toddler in the house. A boy who will crawl all over the place and put anything and everything in his mouth. For two, I will probably have frequent visitors for a while. And no one wants visitors if their house looks like mine does right now!

So wish me luck on my massive to-do list. (It actually does fit in two columns all on one page. And when I make a list, I like to feel successful by marking things off so some of the items will be marked off fairly easily.) Updates to come!

Fab Five Friday

2010-04-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Jenny started posting her Fab Five each week because her friend, Emily, started it up on her blog. Then, our friend Sabrina joined in on the fun. So now yours truly cannot take it anymore - I'm jumping on the bandwagon!

The point is to highlight the five tangible things that made your week/life fabulous. For some reason though, I have had a lot of trouble thinking of any this week. I am just kinda in survival mode just trying to make it to Spring Break, ya know? So anyway, this week I am going to list the five websites I visit most often, because let's face it, they make my life a lot easier and Fabulous too!

Facebook - Let's face facts here - I'm pretty much a cyber-stalker. I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. Sometimes I feel like it allows me to be way too lazy in my relationships. No need to call and check on so-and-so, just check her status updates! Plus, this week I have run into some problems with cyber-bullying and the kids in my class. Yes, that's right - ten year olds who are not even supposed to be on social networking sites anyway! But then I remember that I love Facebook because it does allow me to stay so connected to my friends who live all over the place, not just the local ones.
GoogleReader - Another site that allows me to cyber-stalk! Plus, I do read a lot of blogs for strictly informational purposes too.
My School Email - Seriously, how did teachers survive without it??
FoxNews - Just my way of feeling like an informed citizen.
Online Banking - So much easier than trying to remember to write down every single cent spent!

March Books

2010-03-31T23:59:00.005-05:00

That's one of the reasons I love the blog world so much. There are people out there just like me! People who do not think it is a huge waste of time to make reading lists and to set reading goals and to share with each other about books. And even though I love reading "Book Blogs," I would still much rather sit across from you on the couch and goosh over a book than write it up in paragraphs. Partly because when I blog about a book I never really feel like I am really doing it justice.

So here's my solution. Instead of pulling teeth to write something eloquent about each and every book I read, I will instead do a monthly summary. Some books may get paragraphs, some may get sentences, and some may get bulleted lists. And no promises that any of them will qualify as eloquent!

So here goes March...

1.) Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell (03/06)

Eh, this one was just okay for me. I haven't seen the movie yet and the book didn't really leave me wanting to run out and see it ASAP. Julie was likable enough I guess, but I had trouble relating to her in a lot of ways. She seemed pretty negative at times and ranted a lot about all of the "dumb Republicans" she worked for. If you know me, you know that didn't really sit well. I did find some of her descriptions of cooking the food interesting, but it seemed like a lot of food I would never eat. We're plain folk around the Borland homestead. Plus, some of her descriptions were down right disgusting. I mean, really, I could have lived a fully happy, healthy life never knowing how lobsters are killed or how marrow is dug out of a bone. Yuck. Combine that with my queasy pregnant gag reflex and, well, you can just imagine.

2.) How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (03/10)

This book was too cute! And, unlike my first book of the month, it did leave me wanting to see its movie version. This book is pretty short and filled with cute kid-like sketches. This made it a super fast read. But, unlike some fast reads, it still had substance. The hero was likable and very relatable for a wide age range. The plot kept me pulled in and waiting to see what happened next. I definitely plan on checking out the other books in this series in the near future.

3.) The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game (03/25)

I loved, loved, loved this book. I don't know what it is about this month and my apparent "movie theme." I promise it's not on purpose. But this book definitely DID leave me wanting to see the movie version. I fell in love with Michael Oher and would like to research more about him. His story is absolutely incredible! The only thing others may or may not like about this book is that part of it (like whole chapters) is devoted strictly to the history and strategy of the NFL. These chapters were still interesting and I did learn a little. Sometimes, though, I was kinda confused. But the confusion never lasted long and didn't effect the book at all. Plus, I am lucky enough to have a football-lovin' husband to (not s0) patiently explain things to me when needed. : )

4.) Nancy Drew 5 - The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (03/28)

This one was my fifth Nancy Drew of the year. I'm working on reading a lot of them for this challenge. I liked the plot of this one, but a few of the same things annoyed me. Like how Nancy and her girlfriends are out of high school, but have no jobs and no plans for college or anything. Also, Bess, one of Nancy's friends seems to be maybe a little heavier than the other girls - and this fact is apparently important enough to allude to several times, always in a negative way.

5.) Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (03/30)

The second installment of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This one surely did not disappoint! I had to speed through this one because it was requested by someone else at the library, but I probably would have read it just as fast anyway because it was so good! I can't wait to get my hands on the third one. I definitely recommend this series to anyone ages 10-110.

6.) Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (03/31)

This book was really neat. It was a very quick read (like, less than 20 minutes), but since it is part of my Newbery Challenge, I am going to count it. As you might have guessed, the book is full of poems meant to be read by two people. The poetry is great and the way it is presented is even better. I think I may have my higher reading group work with a few of these just to see how they do. Plus, I have no doubt these poems will sound better when read aloud the way they were meant to be.

7.) A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (03/31)

Once again, this is a very short book, but since it is for my Newbery Challenge, I am going to count it. This is another collection of poems, but I was not nearly as impressed with this one as Joyful Noise. Sorry Newbery committee, you missed your mark this year. Especially since one of 1982's Honor Books was Ramona Quimby, Age 8. I mean, come on - Ramona could whip the pants off this book!

Another Twilight Book?!?

2010-03-31T12:00:00.001-05:00

This came from the Scholastic Blog, InkSplot26. Just had to pass it along...

BREAKING NEWS! Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight series (for ages 12 and up), is releasing a NEW book in the Twilight series on June 5, 2010! Titled The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, it will be shorter than the other Twilight books - only 192 pages, and told from the perspective of Bree, a character originally featured in Eclipse.

Here's a quick summary:
"In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion."

It sounds really cool, but wait there's more! The book will go on sale on June 5, but if you can wait until June 7, you can read it online in English for free until July 5, 2010. It's Stephenie Meyer's way of saying thank-you to her fans. On her website she says, "You all have bought a ton of my books, and I wanted to give you this story as a gift."

Thanks, Stephenie!

Baby Borland Update - 28 Weeks

2010-03-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

At 28 weeks I feel like I am really at the peak of pregnancy. I feel pretty good right now. I feel like a lot of the hard parts are behind me, or ahead of me. Some days I feel awesome, almost like I'm not even pregnant and nothing has changed (almost). Then I have days where I feel very, well pregnant. You know, my back aches, my skin is stretched, I can barely move, and I am Exhausted with a capital E. And as little Jacob continues to grow and grow, I have a feeling I may start having a lot more of the pregnant days than the awesome days. So my plan is to enjoy them while they last.

I went to the doctor yesterday and received an okay bill of health. They still didn't have my glucose/iron results back from four weeks ago which kinda frustrated me, but what can you do? My blood pressure was not high, but a little high for what I usually run. My doctor also reminded me to lay off the salt, which is a big challenge for me. Not only do I like to salt my food to give it more taste, but I have also had a lot of cravings for things like pickles and Doritos. : / Oh well, everything in moderation, right??

Of course we got to hear little Jacob's heartbeat again and it was just as cool as ever. Even though I can feel him move more and more everyday, there is just something so real about that heartbeat. And once again, he was moving around so much she had to chase him down to find it! By my next appointment though, he will probably be starting to run out of room. Speaking of next time, my next appointment is 3 weeks away instead of the usual 4. Yet another sign that we are getting closer to meeting our baby boy. I will have appointments at week 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40...

People keep asking me if I am ready. Ha - of course not. But I am hoping that I will feel a little bit more ready after Spring Break. My plan is to get a lot of work done and get the nursery closer to being ready.

Please continue to pray for each and every Borland...

Fab Five Friday

2010-03-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

2.) Flash Drives - Seriously, what did we do without them??

3.) Nail Polish - My toes are finally flip-flop-fashion ready.

4.) Daffodils - A sure sign that Spring is here and that Easter is on its way : )

5.) BrainQuest Cards - My kids, especially those on Academic Team, LOVE these things. And they're a great way to fill your head with tons of cool facts.

Fab Five Friday

2010-03-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

My friend Jenny started posting her Fab Five each week because her friend, Emily, started it up on her blog. Then, our friend Sabrina joined in on the fun. So now yours truly cannot take it anymore - I'm jumping on the bandwagon!

The point is to highlight the five tangible things that made your week/life fabulous. Here are my Fab Five for this week:

1.) Kitchen Gloves - I know this is going to sound really prissy, but whenever I wash too many dishes, my hands turn to crap. The skin will literally start to peel off my fingers. And yes, I have a dishwasher! I'm talking just washing one or two pans a day. That's all it takes. I even experimented with different brands of dish soap. While some helped, none took care of the problem. So my solution? Kitchen gloves! My hands love them! PS - Mine are not nearly this cute. Just plain white and a WalMart special made by Mr. Clean.

2.) Bookmarks - Why not? I do have a lot of cute ones. Check out the post I did earlier this week to celebrate Bookmark Day with the Bibliophilic Blog.

3.) My EZ Grader - Such a time saver for me when I have 77 tests to grade!

4.) Flip Flops - I'm wearing my first pair of the year today!! Bring on 70 Degree Days!!

5.) Caffeine Free Mountain Dew - Because let's face it, I don't think I can have a Fab Five Post without something full of calories. I have to make myself pass up this aisle at the grocery so that I don't drink myself up to the size of a house. But lately my will power just hasn't been there. Oh well! At least it's caffeine free!

Happy Bookmark Day!

2010-03-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

The Bibliophilic Blog is hosting Bookmark Day today, March 15th. Head on over and check it out! To celebrate, I am posting this, of course, and my homeroom kids will all be getting I Love Reading bookmarks today.

I must admit, I'm a sucker for a good bookmark. There are just so many! They come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. I have bookmarks that I love because I think they are just too cute, some that are dainty, some that feature my favorite books, some I love for the Bible verses they quote, the list goes on and on...

But here's the thing. Half the time, my bookmark ends up being a receipt or a post it note or something. Why is that?? And another thing - why do some bookmarks have to be so stinking expensive? I refuse to pay big bucks for a bookmark - I would definitely lose it! Just check out this out. It's the bookmarks for sale on Barnes&Noble.com. Over $30 for a bookmark?!? Just think of all of the books you could buy with that instead!

Just for fun, the bookmark I am using right now is one that I got a few Valentine's ago. It's one of the nice metal ones that has a metal heart attached to it with a piece of thick string. It is read and pink, of course, and has pictures of Valentine foods on it. The quote reads: "The miracle of love is that love is given to us to give to one another." So true. And it reminds me of one of my favorite sections of scripture:

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5

How true is that? The only reason I can love anyone else is because it is the overflow of the love that God has poured into my heart.

baby Bump (with a capital B!)

2010-03-13T00:00:00.002-06:00

Even though I said I wouldn't, I finally broke down and posted some belly pics on facebook. It's funny how early in my pregnancy, I didn't want anyone to see my 7 week picture. Now, I see how much my body has already changed to accomodate this baby and it just amazes me. I mean, seriously. How can anyone witness all of these changes a woman goes through and still deny that the Lord plans all of this. I mean, really. How else would my body be able to handle all of this? How else could two little cells come togehter to form such an intricate being?? Even as a believer, the whole process boggles my mind!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. "

~Psalm 139:13-16

October 31st - almost 7 weeks : ) Still not feeling very pregnant here. The first trimester hit me hard and all at once right at 8 weeks.

February 3rd - Between 20-21 weeks, very soon after we found out were were having a baby boy.

Another from February 3rd.

March 9th - Between 25 and 26 weeks. Enjoying the second trimester, especially all the little movements he makes. It seems like he's moving a little more and more everyday : )

We've taken pictures as close as we can to the end of each month. I only put up the ones where I thought you could really see a difference. As long as we can remember to take some more the end of March, I'll try and post those then. Oh yeah - and anyone else notice how fast my hair has grown??

Please continue to pray for each and every Borland : )

Fab Five Friday

2010-03-12T00:00:00.002-06:00

Apparently, these make great teacher gifts. I have received several of these in the past year and I love every one of them! (Just about every teacher in our building has at least one. Some have many more!) They are great because they do not sweat at all. This means you can sit them on top of anything on your cluttered desk and not worry about getting water rings on anyone's paper. They also come in different shapes and sizes, as well as with different style lids/straws. There are tons of patches to choose from and they can be personalized with a name of monogram. I have one just like the UK one below that has my name in pretty blue letters on the other side. Plus, it's a great way to make sure this momma is drinking all the water she needs to be drinking each day!

2.) Samoas

There really isn't any "thing" in this world that I love more than these things. Where I am from they were called Caramel Delights. That pretty much sums them up, in my opinion : )

3.) My Mixer

Kind of a weird thing to make your week fabulous, I know, but it's true. Lately I have discovered smoothies. I don't really have any recipes - I just kinda throw in whatever. I use ice, frozen or fresh fruit, juice, and fat free vanilla yogurt. It's such a good way for me to get in servings of fruit and even calcium and potassium from the yogurt. Let me know if anyone has any good smoothie suggestions!

4.) Tummy Butter

This one may be a little bit of TMI for some of you.

I made it 24 weeks without a single stretch mark. I put Cocoa Butter lotion on every morning and every night and was feeling pretty good about myself. Until the middle of my 25th week. A tiny, curved, reddishpurplish line appeared out of nowhere. And it was only on one side of my abdomen. How I can get them on one side and not the other is beyond me. But since that one little booger popped up, a few more have decided to cluster around him. At least these seem to be smaller and lighter-colored. But needless to say, I felt I needed to take a step up from the regular Cocoa Butter lotion. So I purchased this Tummy Butter to use on the spots that seem prone to the most stretching. The rest of my abdomen still just gets Cocoa Butter for the time being. And let me tell you something about this Tummy Butter. When they say butter, they mean it! This stuff is so thick it is almost hard to get out of the jar! But it feels so good on those days when my skin feels especially tight!

5.) How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

I saw a lot of previews for this movie during the Winter Olympics and had remembered thinking the book looked cute. When I tried to read it a few months ago, the library did not have it. I checked back recently and saw that it was in the catalog and labeled "Coming Soon." Apparently "Soon" finally came this week and I read it in two days. It was one of the cutest books I've read in a long time! I hope the movie is just as cute because reading the book made me really, really want to see the movie. Click here for the official movie site.

Newbery Medal Reading Challenge

2010-03-11T00:00:00.011-06:00

Since 1922, 89 Newbery Medals have been awarded. Of these, I have read 16 of them. However, I only really remember 8 of them. 8! Can you believe it? And as an elementary school teacher, I feel like my number should be a lot higher than that! No, the Newbery Medal is not the be-all, end-all of what makes a good book. I sometimes read a book and get frustrated that it is such an awesome book and yet received no recognition. On the other hand, sometimes I read a book that has won a prestigious award and I hate it. But no one can argue that on the whole, Newbery books are awesome books for intermediate children and as an intermediate teacher, I feel I should definitely make an effort to read more of them.

So what am I going to do? My goal is to read 12 NB books a year until I catch up. That's an average of just one a month! Totally do-able, right? And at that rate, I will catch up by... sometime in 2017. 2017?!? Hmm, not quite as soon as I thought. Oh well. Maybe I will really get on a roll and knock them out much sooner than that!

Here are the Newbery Medal Winners that I have read (and remember well enough for them to count!):

2009 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (04/30/10)
2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (04/15/10)
1999 - Holes by Louis Sachar (BeforeChallenge)
1994 - The Giver by Lois Lowry (BC)
1991 - Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (BC)
1990 - Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (04/22/10)
1989 - Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (03/31/10)
1986 - Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (BC)
1984 - Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (BC)
1982 - A Journey to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (03/31/10)
1978 - Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson (BC)
1968 - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg (BC)
1963 - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (BC)

2010 Total: 5

Next up - 1988's Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

~Wish Me Luck!!~

My Growing TBR List

2010-03-10T00:00:00.017-06:00

How is it that my To Be Read List can get so out of control sometimes?? For example, right now I have ten books on my list:

How to Train a Dragon by Cressida Cowell (The movie looks cute so of course I wanted to read the book first!) FINISHED 03/10
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (Again, the movie looks good and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE most sport stories.) FINISHED 03/25
Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore FINISHED 04/15
Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood by Jenny McCarthy (Loved Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Being Pregnant. In a lot of ways she is so dead-on it's scary!) FINISHED 04/04
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (A recent Newbery Winner, looks spooky) FINISHED 04/30
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Billiett (Comes highly recommended by one of the Scholastic staffers that I have always agreed with)
Nancy Drew 5 - The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (for the Nancy Drew Reading Challenge) FINISHED 03/28
Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf (Can't remember where I saw it reviewed, but it sounds really good)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Almost half way through the audio book - but it's 13 HOURS LONG!! I also have the actual book to read too.) FINISHED (04/13)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling (reread) (Because I heart HP and it's for the Harry Potter Reading Challenge)

So my new goal is going to be not to add any more books to my list until I have read at least 6 of the 10 listed above. Can I do it???? I don't know. It's going to be tough, that's for sure. There are just too many good books out there!

How do I decide which books to read first?

Good question. Lately the library has been deciding for me. I love BGPL, especially since they make it so easy to request books. I can go to the online catalog to find books I like. If they are checked out, or are not checked in at the branch closest to me, I can have them sent to the branch of my choice. If the book is available, it only takes a day or two. But for popular books, like Julie and Julia and The Blindside, I may have to wait several days or even weeks! And then when I finally get the book, I only have two weeks to read it since someone is usually waiting for it after me (and I HATE to pay fines!). On the other hand, I have the library here at school too. Books checked out from this library do not have to be turned in by a certain time, so I can keep them as long as needed. But if I keep them too long, I start to feel guilty thinking about the kids who can't check it out just because it is gathering dust in my stack.

So my hope is that by posting about my problem, I will stick to my goal of reading 6/10 before moving on to any others! Some of these are pretty short so I should be able to kick them pretty fast!

Update 03/19 - So my turn just came up for another book that I have been waiting on for weeks from the pubic library. Since it is probably requested by someone else after me, I will need to read it as soon as I finish the one I am on. THEN back to the list!

Update 03/25 - I really do want to read all of the books on this list, I promise! But there are just so many books out there that it is hard to make myself stick to a list of just 10 books! So we'll see. I am already feeling VERY tempted to read other books before I get to some of these...

Update 04/15 - Finally! 6/10 Read!

How am I doing???

7/10 Read

Autumn Winifred Oliver Now in Paperback

2010-03-09T00:00:00.003-06:00

Whether you are in fourteen, in fourth grade, or forty, you can enjoy Kristin Tubb's Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different. My kiddos and I really enjoyed the book and I posted a "review" here. Miss Tubb came to visit our fourth graders and did an amazing job!

Today, Autumn makes her debut in paperback. Check it out!

And all my teacher friends out there - check out Miss Tubb's website for info on contacting her for a visit.

Lil Angels Attic Sale - Bedding!!

2010-03-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

Every year there is a huge children's consignment sale at one of the church's here in BG called Lil Angels Attic. This year my mother-in-law and I signed up for a volunteer shift just so we could go to the preview sale on Thursday night. This allowed us to see everything without having to fight the maddening crowds. Yes, it's true that they drop the prices on Saturday, but then you chance something you really want being gone! I will probably still go back before my volunteer shift on Saturday just to see if there is anything else I can't live without.

So anyway, here is what I came home with:

15 articles of clothing - Some onesies, pj's, overalls, pants, etc. My favorites? A tiny Cubs onesie and some really cute puppy dog outfits. They're just boy all over! Maybe I will get motivated and post some pics.
Teeny Tiny New Balance sneakers : ) - I know sneakers for such tiny feet are probably a waste of money, but they were so cute and such a steal that I just could not resist!
Bookends - Not really a need, I know. But still. They were really cute and I just couldn't pass them up. Even if we don't use them until he is older. One is Pooh and one is Tigger. Each has a little book inside the bookend that slides out. I tried to post a picture, but couldn't get it to work. Go here for to check them out.
2 Books for Mommy - What To Expect The First Year by Heidi Murkoff and The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp (a book that has been recommended to me by several moms)
OUR BEDDING!!! - It feels like such an accomplishment having our bedding picked out. We found a great set that we like and got one heck of a deal! Thanks so much to Grandmother, who purchased our bedding as a gift to Jacob! I have included two pictures below because even though it is the same bedding, it looks very different in the two different colored rooms. Our bedding set included quilt, crib sheet, dust ruffle, bumper, and valance.

Job History

2010-02-18T00:00:00.001-06:00

After reading a few of my friends' posts on the subject, it really got me thinking about my own job history. Just in case you were interested, here it is...

BabySitting (age 12 - 22) - I know this is not an official j-o-b, but it was such a part of my life for so long, I feel like I have to count it. I was the girl who had a babysitting job at least a couple days a week all through high school. It kind of tapered off my first few years in Bowling Green, but after I started to meet more people I even got a few weekly jobs during college too.
Sales Associate at Rue 21 (Sophomore-Junior Year of High School) - My first "real" job. I started out making minimum wage (a whopping $5.35 an hour at the time!). I ran the register, cleaned out fitting rooms and basically folded lots and lots of clothes.
Waitress at Frisch's Big Boy (Junior-Senior Year of High School) - I LOVED this job. If you're not familiar with the chain, it's kind of like a steak'n'shake, but not. Basically just an eat-in burger joint with nothing on the menu over $8.99. I worked with a wide range of people - a couple of guys I was friends with at school, a couple of college kids, and a bunch of middle-aged ladies. I really enjoyed waiting tables because I loved to talk to people and be friendly and I felt that I was pretty good at my job. I hated all the side work (folding silverware into napkins, a lot of cleaning), but I loved those tips! On a good night I could make a pretty good chunk of change, but on a slow Monday night I may only make a couple bucks an hour - and my base salary was only $2.13!!
BabySitting Teachers' Kids (Senior Year of High School) - My senior year I took yearbook as an early class. This meant that I got out an hour earlier than the rest of the high school. This was also the same time the elementary students released. So everyday after school I ran my own little afterschool program for 8-10 of the teachers' kids. I loved it. Hard to believe I still didn't know I was supposed to be an educator, huh?
Sodexho at Commonwealth Stadium (Senior Year of High School - Freshman Year of College) - I was a suite attendant for the private suites at all the home UK football games. I had three suites - one owned by Budweiser, one by UK (for the president and other important people), and one owned by Alltell. I made $8.00 an hour, but earned WAY more in tips. After each game, the suite owners tipped me between $50-$150. Also, random people you would stop to help would sometimes slip you bills anywhere from $10 to $50 - just for getting them a coke or running out to the scoreboard tailgate (like ten feet away) and getting them a hot dog! And the last game of the year, as my "bonus," I left with about $800. I also got to meet some neat KY celebs like William Shatner, Montgomery Gentry, Tubby Smith, Tim Couch, and two governors. Oh yeah, and I served breakfast to ESPN's College GameDay crew.
Camp Counselor for the YMCA (Summers 2004-2006) - I worked for the Y for 3 summers and loved (almost) every minute of it! The other counselors were great (for the most part) and I really enjoyed working with the kids. This job was part of what encouraged me to go into education.
Group Leader for Community Ed (Spring Semester Freshman Year of College) - Worked at an after school program at Natcher Elementary. Crazy kids. I wasn't there very long, but boy, do I have some stories I could tell you from this place!
Resident Assistant in Southwest Hall (Sophomore Year of College) - The best and worst job I had in college. I loved most of the people I worked with and we became a real tight-knit little family. The job part of it, though, I didn't like too much. A lot of work for not a lot of pay. That's fine if you love what you do, but unfortunately, I didn't.
Substitute Teacher for Warren Co Schools (Junior and Senior Year of College) - To get my foot in the door. I subbed elementary, middle, and high. I am thankful for this job because the money was good, I had weekends off, but more importantly, it really helped me get more comfortable in front of a classroom. It also gave me more confidence talking with teachers and principals. And it made me see a lot of things that I wanted to do and things that I would never want to do in my own classroom. All of these things were very beneficial to me!!
Childcare at Living Hope (Junior and Senior Year of College) - I worked in the nursery for weeknight events. Nice for a little extra spending money and I never complain when I get to hold precious babies!
Sales Associate for Dunham's Sports (Summer before Senior Year to Summer After Graduation) I worked with a lot of people of all different ages which made for a lot of drama on occasions. I really enjoyed working with those who were pleasant and worked hard. The others - not so much. My days were mainly spent hanging clothes, straightening clothes, or helping people try on athletic shoes.
Community Advisor at The Gables Apartments (Summer before Senior Year to Summer After Graduation) Kind of like being an RA, but not as much work. And I didn't get paid, but instead got free rent. This was definitely worth it since it was only a few hours of work a week, but translated to over $300 a month.
4th Grade Teacher at Alvaton Elementary (August 08 to Present) My DREAM JOB, really. I am so grateful that the Lord led me to Alvaton. I love my kids and I love the principal and staff. I really do feel like I am part of a big family! And most of all, I enjoy teaching. Even though it is always a challenge and some days I feel like I could pull my hair out, there really is nothing else I would rather be doing.

On Becoming Baby Wise

2010-02-02T02:00:00.000-06:00

On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

I first heard about this book and its principles from our good friends, Jenny and Stuart, but have since heard about its use from several other families, all with wonderful things to say about it. I have also heard some people tell me how dumb they think it is, but when questioned farther, they can't tell you much because they a.) haven't read it, or b.) haven't tried it. So the only thing I felt I could really do was to read it for myself and see.

This book just made sense. The principles seem sound and I can't say anything else other than it just made sense to me. Why wouldn't anyone want to try this? Putting your baby on a schedule will help train their bodies to eat and sleep normally. I really wish I could give you a more elegant synopsis, but it really does seem that simple. Now, I realize raising a newborn is in reality anything but simple, but this system does seem to give great guidance as to what is best for babies. And with most babies sleeping though the night by eight weeks or so, why not?? I really don't understand why anyone who would actually read this book would have a problem with its principles. Scheduling your baby is not detrimental to him/her, but beneficial. The authors do not want you to be clock-watching crazy parents. They encourage some flexibility and understanding when things don't go according to plan.

I actually put off reading this book for quite some time because to me, it just looked boring. I like to read non-fiction, but lets face it, most non-fiction can really put you to sleep! This was definitely NOT the case with this book. It was well-written enough to hold my attention. Each chapter was broken down into manageable categories, which also helped. I read this book in one evening and one afternoon.

I am definitely willing to try the principles in Baby Wise and am actually a lot more hopeful now than I was before reading the book. Before reading it, I thought I had absolutely no idea how to handle a newborn baby. Now I can safely drop the absolutely and say that I have no idea how to handle a newborn baby, but I do know where to start. Hopefully mother nature will take me the rest of the way.

Here is a popular blog that seems to be very helpful: Chronicles of a Babywise Mom.

Drumroll Please...

2010-01-31T02:00:00.000-06:00

It's a Boy!!

Back-to-School Goals - Update

2010-01-21T02:00:00.000-06:00

So two weeks into the school year, I wrote a post mentioning a few back to school goals. Here were the goals:

1.) Love first. Teach second.

2.) Stay on top of filing.

3.) Respond to emails ASAP instead of putting them off.

4.) Grade and record papers ASAP so they don't pile up on me.

5.) Make better use of my planning time. (this is when I am going to try and make most of my copies, since the line can be bad in the mornings and afternoons)

6.) Umm, it seems like I had so many more than just these five... oh well!

Needless to say, I am not doing too well.

#1 is obviously the most important goal to me, but some days I struggle with it. I know it may sound easy, but it can actually be kind of difficult. You can get so caught up in what you have to get done and what the kids have to know and be able to do, that you have to remind yourself that they are real kids. More than math, they need love. That is the most important thing and that is what is going to make them see Jesus in me more than anything else. The more difficult kids are often the ones that are the hardest to love and they are the ones that need it the most! This is a goal that I have to work on everyday and will probably need to work on everyday until retirement.

#'s 2-5 are all goals that just have to do with time management and organization. I do think that I am making better use of my planning periods, which helps with the other goals, but I still have a long way to go! I don't always answer my emails right away and yes, papers always seem to pile up on me. And filing? Well, I am no better at that than I was last year. It really is a weakness.

Here are some things I am going to do to help me meet these goals:

Write them down. Then post them in a place where I will see them everyday, like the bulletin board by my desk.
Clean off my desk every afternoon before I leave. This will help me get off to a good start in the morning. You will not believe the mess that accumulates on my desk during the school day!
Make a schedule for all of the things I have to do each week, like planning, grading, newsletters, emails, etc. Maybe this will help me get it all done instead of saving it to the last minute. Kind of like a to-do list for each planning period of the week.

Going Bananas

2010-01-20T02:00:00.000-06:00

Confession time...

I love bananas. But I especially love bananas when they are at that perfect stage where they are not mushy, but they are not too hard either. You know, right before they start to get a little too ripe. And bananas are really good for you too. A great source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, not to mention good calories for energy and loads of potassium. The potassium is especially good for mommas-to-be since muscle cramps, especially those awful charlie horses, can be a real problem!

Anyway, here is what drives me bananas. I am really working hard on only grocery shopping once a week. If you want to eat a banana everyday, this is next to impossible! Monday I went to the store and only bought three bananas because I knew they wouldn't last more than three days. I even bought three that looked a little greenish. Tuesday's banana was okay, but not great. Today's, Wednesday's, is already looking spotted and feeling too mushy. I don't even want to think about Thursday's. I may just eat it tonight to keep from having to suffer through a bad banana.

So what I want to know is, has anyone discovered a way to keep bananas fresh? Do any of those baggy thingys really work? Any tips at all?? I know this is a silly post, but I'm desperate over here!

Blubber by Judy Blume

2010-01-19T02:00:00.000-06:00

Good Book
Everyone can relate to one of the characters - bully, bullied, bystander...
Some of the bullying seemed a little extreme to me. I guess it happens though.
Teachers are portrayed as lazy and uncaring. Never know what is happening. Disinterested. Sadly though, I guess some teachers are like this.
Some language that is not suitable for younger or immature students.

Cardiologist = Pleasant Surprise!

2010-01-14T02:00:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned before here, my OB wanted me to see a cardiologist just to have some tests run. This is only because I have had a pre-existing condition, not because I am having problems or because she thinks I will have them. More of a better-be-safe-than-sorry kind of thing.

So last week I went to see a cardiologist here in town to have an EKG and and a Cardio-Echo done. The EKG is no big deal - you just lay on a table and have a bunch of sticky things with metal pieces put on your chest, arms, and ankles. Then they connect the metal pieces to a machine using big plier-looking things. Once you're all hooked up the test only takes about 30 seconds. They just monitor your heart rate and print out a piece of paper that looks like you just took a lie detector test.

The Cardio-Echo is basically just an ultrasound of your heart. They use really cold jelly and rub a wand over your skin over the area they want to see. But unlike some ultrasounds, the Cardio-Echo can actually be a little painful. They have to push really hard to see through some of the tissue and they sometimes have to jab really hard at your ribs. Zero fun.

Anyway, as the man was looking up at the bottom of my heart via under my ribs, I warned him that if he got any lower we would be able to see my baby on that screen. He laughed and told me we would do that next. It's a good thing I was in a cardiologist's office, because I just about had a heart attack on the spot! Seriously, my heart started beating so fast that he had to stop the test and let me calm down a bit. I was just so shocked! I had no idea when I woke up that morning that I would have the chance to see my baby. Talk about a pleasant surprise!

I wasn't able to see a whole lot because that is not really what the equipment was designed for. And since I was only 16 weeks, he couldn't really tell the gender. But I'm almost glad for that since Jeff wasn't even with me. That was the worst part. It was amazing to see our baby, but I really wanted the daddy there with me to see it too. It was an awesome thing to see, though. I enjoy seeing other people's ultrasound pictures, but let's be honest, they all look alike to me. Not this one. I know you may argue that it had to look just like everyone else's, but no. The baby I saw on the screen was the most beautiful baby I have ever seen in my life. I cannot wait until I get to see it again in a few weeks, when Jeff gets to see it for the first time. And I definitely cannot wait until I can hold it in my arms! At the risk of becoming sickeningly sappy, I will stop here. I'm already crying in anticipation anyway!

No More Jeep Payments!!

2010-01-13T02:00:00.000-06:00

Have I ever mentioned before how much I really HATE debt?? If you know me personally, you know this is true. I just can't stand the thought of so much of my money going out every month to pay for things that I purchased forever ago! It is so stupid and I hate it and I wish that I had never borrowed money for anything in my life. But, I did and now I'm paying the Stupid Tax for it. Every month.

But, things around here are changing. Although we are not perfect with our money, we do have a plan. A written budget each month that tells every dollar where to go. A debt-snowball, designed to help us pay off our debts in the fastest way possible. Yes, some months we really stink at it, but most months we do okay. I can definitely tell we are making progress. Thank you, Dave Ramsey!

We made some big progress this week when we paid off our jeep. It's exciting to have that weight off of our shoulders and to have an extra 200-something a month - even if we don't really have it in a way that lets us spend it, but in a way that lets us pile it towards more debt. It's a good feeling that makes you want to keep going. If it feels so nice just having that extra a month, imagine what we will feel like when we are DEBT FREE and get to keep a lot more of our money! (Even though most days it feels like that time is very, very far away.) It's also a nice enough feeling to make me never want to borrow money for a car ever again. Monthly car payments don't have to be something that I have to live with. : )

Books Read 2010

2010-01-03T02:00:00.035-06:00

I needed somewhere to keep up with all of the books that I have read/will read this year. I don't really have a personal goal since I have no idea what to expect out of this year. After all, I will have a newborn in six months! But I figured here is a good a place as any. And maybe I will even have some accountability if I post the list for others to see.

At a Glance Totals:

Nancy Drew - 5

Memoir - 3

YA/JuvFic - 24

Adult Mystery - 1

Adult Misc - 2

NonFic Family - 3

NonFic Faith - 1

Teaching - 1

Total* - 34

*Some books fit into more than one category.

Jan - 6

Feb - 6
Mar - 7

Apr - 7

May - 3

June - 1

July - 0

August - 1

September - 2

October - 1

January- Thanks to all of the snow days, I have been able to start the year off with a lot of reading!

1.) Nancy Drew 1 - The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (01/03)

2.) Nancy Drew 2 - The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene (01/06)

3.) American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson (01/11)

4.) Blubber by Judy Blume (01/16) -audiobook

5.) How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else by Michael Gates Gill (01/22) - audiobook

6.) The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (01/29)

February - more snow days for reading - good now, not so good in June : ) also, my husband had his gallbladder removed. this meant an entire day spent waiting in the hospital and many more quiet days to follow while he recoops at home.

7.) On Becoming BabyWise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam (02/01)

8.) Nancy Drew 3 - The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene (02/02)

9.) Snowed In by Rachel Hawthorne (02/05)

10.) Front of the Class: How Tourette's Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had by Brad Cohen (02/08)

11.) The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (02/15)

12.) Nancy Drew 9 - The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene (02/16)

March - When the weather starts to get warmer, I start to read a little less. That is, until it gets too hot to do anything outside! Then my reading usually picks back up again. But until then, I will just use all those rainy days to get some reading done : )

13.) Julia and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell (03/06)

14.) How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (03/10)

15.) The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (03/25)

16.) Nancy Drew 5 - The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (03/28)

17.) Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (03/30)

18.) Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (03/31)

19.) A Journey to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (03/31)

April - Spring Break!! However, I do have big plans to do a lot of cleaning and school work, so I may or may not get any more reading done than usual : /

20.) Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood by Jenny McCarthy (04/04)

21.) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (04/08)

22.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (04/13)

23.) Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore (04/15)

24.) Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (04/15)

25.) Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (04/22)

26.) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (04/30)

May - The end of the school year is always crazy and leaves very little time to read!

27.) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riorday (05/09)

28.) The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (05/18)

29.) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (05/28)

June - Um, I did have a baby this month. All spare time was spent sleeping!

30.) The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp (06/07)

July - See June : )

August - I am finally starting to feel human again! School has started and it actually feels good to be back in the swing of things again!

31.) The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (08/19)

September

32.) Mockinjay by Suzanne Collins

33.) Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

October

34.) The Alchemist: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel by Michael Scott (10/30)

Novemeber

December

35.) On Becoming Babywise: Book II Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam (12/30)

15 weeks - update

2009-12-31T02:00:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. I'm a horrible blogger! But since Christmas Break started, I've barely even logged in to googlereader to read anyone else's, much less put effort into my own! I even have some Christmas posts that I had started way back when that I need to finish off and post.

Just know that I have been busy. Busy laying around all day and enjoying the holidays. Busy spending time with all of my family and getting some much needed rest.

Besides staying busy with all of that, I did make it to another prenatal appointment yesterday. This time our little one's heartrate was 10 beats slower, but still a solid 156 beats a minute. My weight and blood pressure and everything else is still fine too. The only big thing the doctor advised me of for right now is not to lay flat on my back. No problem, I thought, I'm a side-sleeper anyway. Actually, problem. Last night I couldn't fall asleep for anything. All I wanted to do was lay on my back! Which is weird, because I never remember doing it. Oh well. If that is the only thing keeping me up at night, I feel like I am doing okay! Most of my bad symptoms are starting to slowly disappear. I'm actually starting to feel a little more human again!

Oh, and our ultrasound is scheduled for the end of January. Can't wait!!

School Angel Tree Gifts

2009-12-18T02:00:00.000-06:00

I want to take this chance to publicly brag on my students. Well, actually their parents, I guess.

Our class went together and adopted an angel from the Angel Tree at our school. I sent letters home asking parents to send in anything on the list, even hand-me-downs would work. I did this last year and had a pretty good turnout. But nothing prepared me for what these kids and their parents would do this year. This angel got so much stuff! These families gave and gave and gave some more.

Now I know that of course my kids could not have done this without the help of their parents. But I have to think that maybe some of my kids stayed on top of their parents until they sent something? And even if it were all parents, good for them. What a great way to set an awesome example for your children! I even had some families send in money and toys who I know are having to make cut backs this year. Yet they still made room to give to others. I am so proud of these kids and their parents!

Ramblings About Teaching and Book Review - No Fear in My Classroom

2009-12-17T02:00:00.000-06:00

I read this book as part of the Fall Into Reading Challenge.

This book originally caught my attention because I was interested to see what the book had to say about handling parental problems. As a first year teacher, this was one of my biggest struggles last year. I guess I had always idealized being a "teacher." I wanted all of my kids and parents to like me, ya know? After all, I was responsible for their education 35 hours a week. I bust my butt and make sacrifices just so these kids will know that I love them and gain the knowledge they need to help them be successful not just in the fifth grade, but in life. I dedicated four years of my life just to learn how to do this and will probably spend the next thirty years or so doing it. Why wouldn't they like me??

It didn't take me long to realize that not every parent was going to like everything I did. It even seemed that some of them didn't like anything I did. I struggled with this daily. My heart was broken. Luckily I had an entire support system, without which I would probably have been committed to an asylum:

1.) a common sensical, supportive husband

2.) fellow interns who were going through the same thing

3.) an awesome mentor teacher to give me reality checks

4.) two really amazing co-teachers to help me through each and every day

5.) a great principal and caring staff members

Even though my skin is a lot tougher this year, I am still learning how to deal with this issue. My parents are also much better this year, which helps a lot, and they all know that this is not my first year. One year of experience makes a big difference, especially to parents. I'm also realizing that of course some of them are going to watch me like a hawk. They send their babies to me everyday and have to trust that I am treating them like my own and giving them the skills they need to complete fourth grade. I would watch me like a hawk too! And I've accepted the fact that even if I have tried my best and made all of the "right" decisions based on my training and experience, there are still going to be parents who don't agree with me or who feel like I have not done enough. Oh well. As long as I know that I have done my best, I can't sweat it.

So now, back to the book -

This book was divided into four parts: Personal Fears, Student Fears, Parental Fears, and External Fears. I did gain some understanding from the Parental Fears section, but that was about it. A lot of the Personal Fears didn't apply to me and most of the stuff from the Student Fears section was pretty much common sense.

Another thing that I don't agree with is that I think some of the right kind of fear is actually healthy in a classroom. A reasonable amount of fear that I am not doing my best keeps me working hard. Students should fear consequences, or else do the consequences really work? Students should fear not learning what they will need in life, that way they will see the importance of the knowledge and pay attention and actually care to learn.

By the end of reading the book, I was just skimming for good stuff. I can see keeping it as a resource for future use, but that is about it. Don't really recommend.

Belly Laughs - The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth

2009-12-16T02:00:00.000-06:00

I read this book several months back when Jeff and I first started thinking about trying to have a baby. I am one of those really weird people who reads books way ahead of time. (I was reading marriage books before we were even engaged. But hey, I wanted to know exactly what it was I would be agreeing to!) A good friend from school had mentioned that this book was hilarious so I decided to give it a try.

First of all, she was right. This book was extremely funny. But you have to remember that this book was written by Jenny McCarthy. So yes, there were some not-so-nice words and parts that were a little on the vulgar side. Scratch that. Very vulgar. But if you can handle that kind of stuff, then you would love this book. She is brutally honest about the highs and lows of her pregnancy. Some of the chapters had me literally laughing out loud and some have me really, really hoping I don't have some of her troubles!!

I enjoyed her book enough that later on in my pregnancy, I plan to read Baby Laughs - The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood.

Splendor (A Luxe Novel)

2009-12-15T02:00:00.000-06:00

I wrote about the Luxe series originally here. This book is also part of my Fall Into Reading Challenge you can read about here. For the Luxe website, click here.

Having enjoyed all three of the other books in this series, I was really looking forward to this one. I couldn't wait to see how Godbersen would wrap everything up. It is such a good series that I don't want to give away any details at the risk of spoiling any of the books. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone.

However, I cannot say that the ending did not disappoint me. I LOVED this series right up until the last 15 pages or so. I just plain did not like how it ended. There was only one story line that I actually liked the ending to. I went to the official website of the series to check out the author's blog and found that I am definitely not alone. There are over 156 comments on her post about the series' end, most of them from outraged or disappointed fans. However, after reading her reaction and reasoning behind her ending, I don't feel so upset about it anymore. Yes, if I had written the series I would have ended it very differently. But I didn't write it. Where I am more of a hopeless romantic, Godbersen is more independent and free spirited. Of course her ending is going to be different from mine.

But no matter which personality type you are, you can still enjoy the series as a whole. Lots of twists and turns and suspenseful endings. Beautiful details. For more on why I love the series, check out my original post.

I also found this site with pics of the cover dresses. Really pretty! I think I was born in the wrong century!

1/2 Price Living

2009-12-14T02:00:00.000-06:00

I bought this book for the obvious reason - I wish I could live my life for half the price!

But I was kind of disappointed in this book. I was hoping it would have lots of good shopping and saving tips, but it really didn't. The only tips it gave were really obvious ones - like get your clothes from consignment sales, meal plan before you grocery shop and use coupons. Seriously. That was all. Most of the book seemed to be helping women justify staying home and not working. That is fine for those women, but I am not one of them. In places it almost seemed as if I should feel guilty for not wanting to do it. I don't deny the benefits of staying home, but it is just not for me for a lot of reasons. (Which is a whole other post in itself!) I really don't need a book to try and guilt me into it - I have a mother for that!

I read this book as part of the Fall Into Reading Challenge.

2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

2009-12-11T02:00:00.018-06:00

Yep, another challenge. Over the next few days I will be joining several. What can I say? A LOT of good challenges start in January.

Today I am joining the 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog. I am signing up for The Mini Challenge - check out and read 25 library books. The next size up is 50. That's almost a book a week and probably too much for me. But who knows? Maybe I'll get there. And I love the idea of supporting local libraries. If it weren't for the library, there would be no way I could read all of the books that I do. Books are expensive! Also, I will be counting books I check out from the library at the school where I teach. I am not really sure if it qualifies, but you can't get much more local than right down the hall! To visit the official challenge page, click here.

So Far, So Good: (date finished) library

1.) Nancy Drew 1: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (01/03) AES

2.) Nancy Drew 2: The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene (01/06) AES

3.) Blubber by Judy Blume (01/16) BGPL audiobook

4.) How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else (01/22) BGPL audiobook

5.) The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (01/29) BGPL

6.) Nancy Drew 3: The Bungalow Mystery (02/01) AES

7.) Front of the Class: How Tourette's Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had by Brad Cohen (02/08) BGPL

8.) Nancy Drew 9: The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene (02/16) AES

9.) Julia and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell (03/06) BGPL

10.) How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (03/10) BGPL

11.) The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (03/25) BGPL

12.) Nancy Drew 5 - The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (03/28) BGPL

13.) Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (03/30) BGPL

14.) Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (03/31) BGPL

15.) A Journey to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard (03/31) BGPL

16.) Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood by Jenny McCarthy (04/04) BGPL

17.) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (04/08) BGPL

18.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (04/13) BGPL audiobook

19.) Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz (04/15) BGPL

20.) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (04/30) BGPL

21.) The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (05/09) AES

22.) The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (05/18) BGPL

23.) The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (05/28) BGPL

24.) The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner (08/19) BGPL

25.) Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar (09/30) BGPL audiobook

The Heartbeat : )

2009-12-09T02:00:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday (12/02) I had my first doctor's appointment with my actual doctor (before I had just seen the nurses). Other than the ultrasound, this appointment was one that I had looked forward to the most because we were supposed to be able to actually hear our baby's heartbeat. I was so nervous that something would be wrong and they would not be able to find it. I know, I know, I'm a worry-wart, but I can't help it! Everyone keeps telling me that if something were wrong, my body would tell me. I know this in my head, but it is still very hard not to worry!

But as it turns out (as it usually does!) I had nothing to worry about at all. Dr. L had no problem at all finding the heartbeat. It was a solid 166 beats per minute! It was such a great moment for us. Our baby has a heartbeat. Our baby. It's actually in there! I know this may seem silly, but up until now, it's been pretty hard to wrap my mind around. Don't get me wrong, it's still mind-boggling, but a little less so. I mean, it's not like I look pregnant yet, just a little flabby around the middle. And even though I have been pretty sick, it still just feels to me like I am sick and tired all the time. I don't necessarily "feel pregnant." And even though I still don't physically feel pregnant, my heart definitely feels a little more like a mother. Just hearing that tiny, fast heartbeat makes me want to eat better, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. I cannot even bring myself to drink any caffeine now either because every time I think about it I hear that little heartbeat and I think about making it beat faster than it needs to be right now.

The only other interesting thing that came from this appointment was that because of a pre-existing heart condition, my doctor wants me to see a cardiologists. I've had surgery to correct the problem, so I don't really foresee any problems, but my doctor wants me to have an echo done just in case. She says sometimes pregnancy can make past problems sneak up again. I'm supposed to see a cardiologist every year, but I don't think I've been since I went to college! I know, I know, I should definitely take better care of my self. I don't have an appointment yet, but definitely be in prayer that there are no problems.

Telling the Rileys

2009-11-28T02:00:00.000-06:00

November 01, 2009
The day after we told Jeff's parents, my parents came down with Mark and Heather, two of my siblings, just to visit. We all hung out at our apartment and my mom made some awesome chili.

My mom has always said that whenever I became pregnant she wanted to take one of those cute sideways pictures of me every month. I have always adamantly refused. The reason? During these early weeks, you don't really look pregnant. You look normal. But you feel pudgy. And fat. Well, I don't know how everyone feels, but that is definitely how I feel! So no. I do not want sideways pictures taken of me until I actually have something to take a picture of.

But, of course I caved. I went out and bought the cutest baby picture frame I could find and then put a sideways picture of me in it. But for the record, I will not post these pictures anywhere the public can view them. Maybe after I actually look pregnant. Maybe.

Anyway, I handed the picture frame to my parents. They knew immediately what it was and of course were very excited. Probably no one was more excited than my sister, though. She cried like she was having a baby!

Once both sets of our parents knew the big news, we went around town visiting some of the people who are important to us. We visited Jeff's grandmother, the Ayers, and the Borders. And of course we called a lot of people too. Like my grandmother, my brother Tim (who is having a baby boy in April), and a few of my close friends. Yes, I did enjoy the secret while it lasted, but it sure did feel great being able to tell all of the people who love us!

10 Reasons...

2009-11-26T02:00:00.001-06:00

10 Reasons I Love Thanksgiving Break (in no particular order)...

1.) The AMAZING Food
2.) Getting to eat said food with the Borlands and Grandmother on Thursday
3.) Getting to spend a few days in Georgetown with all of the Riley's and Mamaw
4.) Dogsitting for Bella (a big back yard for all three dogs to play together and run around in)
5.) Being able to sleep in past 5:20am
6.) Having an excuse NOT to go to the store on Friday
7.) I can start decorating for Christmas (I just can't start before)
8.) A Flip-Flop week of school: 2 days of school and then 5 days off
9.) Having some time to catch up on school work (If I'm a good girl and actually do it!)
10.) Having the excuse of "eating for two" - even though I really shouldn't be!

Did I already mention the AMAZING Food??

10 Reasons I Have to be Thankful (once again in no particular order)...

1.) Jesus Loves Me and he is my Savior
2.) Most of my family has accepted Jesus as thier Savior
3.) I have a really great husband
4.) We are having a baby!! (And I am almost out of the dreaded first trimester!)
5.) We have two of the best dogs ever and they are both healthy
6.) I have a job that I LOVE, even if it is often stressful
7.) We have a pretty nice apartment (even if it's not really clean!)
8.) UK's season looks promising
9.) We have a nephew on the way
10.) We are having a baby!! (Definitely worth mentioning twice)

Telling the Borlands

2009-11-25T02:00:00.000-06:00

Even though Jeff and I found out on October 11th, we waited a while to spread the news, even to our families. This was just something that I have always been nervous about. I know how things can so easily go wrong in early, early pregnancy. Plus, it was kinda nice to enjoy the news with just Jeff for a while, you know?

Anyway, the weekend of Halloween we were going to have the opportunity to see Jeff's parents Saturday and my parents on Sunday. What better time to tell them? So after Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night, Jeff and I headed over to the Borland's. His parents were taking me out for a birthday dinner to Red Lobster (my fave!). Before we left the house, they gave me my present (a really cute travel bathroom bag with my name on it). Then Jeff hands his mom, Paula, a green apple. She just says thanks and thinks it is a Halloween gift. Jeff then tells his dad, Mel, that he has something for him too and hands him a miniature grandfather clock (the kind you can find at HobbyLobby, made for dollhouses). Mel is grateful, but you could tell he was still trying to work something out. Jeff and I stare at them until they realize they are missing something. "What kind of apple is that?" Jeff asks. Granny Smith. "And what kind of clock?" A grandfather clock. I think even after they realized they were still too afraid to come out and say it. Somehow though, the truth was realized and there was a lot of hugging and even some crying. This will be their first grandchild and I know they are so, so excited. We did still go to Red Lobster, but it became a celebration of so much more than just my 24th birthday : )

A Bit of an Explanation...

2009-11-24T02:00:00.000-06:00

I don't know if anyone has noticed or not, but my blogging has slacked off a bit. I haven't posted about any new books in quite a while and even announced a MealPlanMonday hiatus. The reason for this is that my life has been turned upside down. Literally. Wonderfully, Miraculously, Completely turned upside down.

Ready for it? Jeff and I are going to have a baby. : )

We are so stinking excited and cannot wait to meet our little blessing. I know this may sound extremely corny, but that really is exactly how we feel! We both feel so blessed that the Lord has allowed us to become parents. We cannot wait to see what His plan is going to hold for us. It is amazing and scary and humbling and just plain ol' life changing.

I am still going to continue blogging, of course. However, since my life has changed so much, my blog will have to change with it. I will continue talking about the books I read, they just may change a bit. (I've already read a pretty decent-sized stack of pregnancy books! And a lot of the books on my Fall Into Reading Challenge list are going to be ignored for a while! Maybe a Spring Challenge??) I will still try to keep up with MealPlanMondays, but those too may be a little different. (The reason for the hiatus was that my morning sickness and general blah-ness kept me from wanting too much of anything to eat! It's also really hard to plan ahead for meals when something sounds good one minute and then repulses you the very next. Not to mention the smells! Don't even get me started on those!) And of course, you can look forward to plenty of posts about the highs and lows of our journey through this incredible time! There have already been so many things that I have wanted to blog about, but haven't been able to because "the word" wasn't officially out yet. Some of these things seemed important at the time, but now not so much. But some of those things I probably still will blog about, you'll just have to understand that the events happened several weeks ago.

I am excited about getting back to blogging, since now I can actually "talk" about what is really going on in my life!

Author Visit and Book Review - Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different

2009-11-19T19:00:00.000-06:00

Today the fourth and fifth graders at my school were lucky enough to have, as the kids say, "a real live author" come to visit. The author was Kristin O'Donnell Tubb. She has written several books for commercial characters (think ScoobyDoo, Bugs Bunny, Holly Hobbie), but also has a new book out that is all her own, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different. She was great with the kids. She gave them several good revising strategies to use that will spice up their pieces. Not to mention she was also as cute as a button! Very stylish, but still in a down-to-earth way, you know?

I ordered Autumn when I first heard Mrs. Tubb was coming for a visit. The book tells the story of the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a place almost everyone who lives in this part of the country has been at least once or twice in their life. The story is told through the eyes of an eleven year old girl named, you guessed it, Autumn Winifred Oliver. Her family lives in Cades Cove, Tennessee, a town where things never change. But changes are surely on the way. It seems the town will either be lost to loggers stripping the mountains, or to the "Not So" Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And Autumn and her family find themselves stuck right in the middle. You can read an excerpt here.

I read this book over Fall Break and loved every bit of it. Here's why:

Some of the messes Autumn gets herself into are so hilarious they literally had me laughing out loud! From riding a coffin down a flooded river to using sticks to prop open the mouths of geese, she definitely does things different!
The book is loaded with mountain culture, sayings, and superstitions. It reminded me a lot of Appalachia. Some of the stuff I actually had to look up because I had no clue what it meant. Like, did you know you weren't supposed to burn sassafras wood in your house? It's bad luck and means someone is probably going to die. (You better run straight home and throw out all that sassafras, ya hear?) I also had no idea what a dogtrot was. (Check out the picture at the bottom.)
Parts of the book made me cry. No, not cry. Sob. Openly. But in the good way, you know? I just felt so close to Autumn and her family that when they suffered, I experienced it to. I LOVE books that do that. A mark of a really good writer.

I read this book aloud to a group of fourth graders who read at a pretty advanced level. The dialect did make it kinda challenging, but fun to use for a read aloud. We did have to stop a lot to talk about a lot of the phrases and bits of culture that they(we) did not understand. What I ended up doing was having the kids take notes on the phrases or words that they did not understand or just plain liked. Every chapter or so we would stop and discuss. And then at the end of the book they will have a list of really neat phrases and words that they could borrow for their own pieces. The kids also laugh out loud at the book, even more than I did. They have started using "Autumn" phrases and commenting that they "do things different." It's always neat to watch them have fun with a book as a group.

How'd you like to have a dogtrot in the middle of your house?

I Can Finally Start Buying Clothes...

2009-11-15T02:00:00.000-06:00

This week, Jeff and I found out that in April we will be getting a nephew! That's right. Timothy and Katie had an ultrasound this week and found out that they are having a baby boy! My brother said that the baby was very active and was kicking like crazy the whole time. He did two full somersaults during the ultrasound! Everything looked good and the due date is still set for April 07. We are so happy for Tim and Katie and cannot wait to meet their beautiful baby boy!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2009-10-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. Now, I'm not the kind that likes a lot of attention on my birthday (but a little sure is good!). But I do want to take the time to brag on my husband. Even though he is suffering, and I mean suffering, from the flu, he still made every effort to make my birthday special. He gave me not one, but two of the sweetest cards I have ever received and he dragged his sick self down to B&N to buy me all three of the books that I wanted for my birthday, two of which did not even come out until the actual day of my birthday! Yep, he's pretty much the best.

Splendor is the last book in the Luxe Series, one of my guilty pleasures you can read about here.
American on Purpose is a memoir by Craig Ferguson, my favorite late night guy (although I am too lame to stay up that late and must DVR!).
The Pioneer Woman Cooks is the first cookbook by you guessed it, The Pioneer Woman. I read her blog and love her recipes! Check out her website here.

I will update more on these books as I have time to sit down and actually read/look through them! I also got some very nice gifts from my team teachers, but that will have to be saved for another post.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

2009-10-16T02:00:00.000-05:00

This is the second Gregory Maguire book I have read, the other being Wicked. This book is not as deep and dark as Wicked, and although it was mildly vulgar in parts, it was not nearly as vulgar as Wicked either.

As made obvious by the title, this book tells the story of Cinderella from the perspective of one of the Ugly Stepsisters. While I did enjoy this book, it was not exactly what I had hoped for. I guess I expected it to be more like the Disney version (silly, I know). The story lacks fairy godmothers and enchanted talking animals and spells that break at midnight. It is not so much fairy tale as real life that has been elevated to fairy tale status over the years. It tells the story of a woman and her two daughters (one painfully plain-looking and one who seems to be mentally handicapped) and how they flee England after the death of their husband and father and try to make a new life in Holland. All of the female characters are very strong and willing to do whatever it takes, even though they live in a culture where women are not truly valued and even repressed. I also liked the little twist at the end that I really did not see coming.

Overall, a good read. I recommend it if you like fairy tales, especially ones where things are not always what they seem. I enjoyed it enough that I do plan on reading another of Maguire's books, but I'm not yet sure which...

Meal Plan Monday - Hiatus

2009-10-14T02:00:00.000-05:00

I know there are hundreds (okay, maybe just two or three) of you out there who log in to your GoogleReader each week just to read my Meal Plan Monday posts (or rather, you happen to see that it's there and skim past it). It is to you that I must apologize. I am going to take a hiatus from MPM posts for the time being. Yes, I will still be doing my best to plan, plan, plan, but I feel that some other things have recently become more important to me and require more of my time and effort. I know, I know, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Trust that I am still planning, just not publicly. I do hope to get back to MPM's soon, but until then, you will just have to get your fill reading everyone else's!

Dog Sitting

2009-10-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

This week, two of our good friends, Brittany and Dale, are out of town. I was excited to dog sit for them because I love their boxer, Bella, and because they have a fenced in backyard. My dogs don't get the chance to just run free very often, but they love it when they do. They especially love it when they get to run free with a friend. For more of Bo and Allie's adventures with Bella, click here to see Puppy Paddle pics (whoa, say that three times!).

Sorry, Bo was refusing to look at the camera. Unlike these two attention hounds, he hates paparazzi.

Meal Plan Monday (or lack thereof)

2009-10-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

Since I am on Fall Break and will be out of school all week (YAY!), I am not planning my meals. I do have a few recipes that I want to try, but I don't really want to commit to anything. Over breaks, I just like to cook what I want, when I want. Breaks are the only time I am able to do this since I am usually in no way crunched for time! So this week, who knows what we will be eating? If I get into any big cooking adventures, I will surely let everyone in blogworld know!

Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

2009-10-04T02:00:00.000-05:00

You know me, anything Harry Potter and I am all about it. So when I saw this package of two books that complemented the series, I couldn't pass them up! And it helped that 20% of the retail sales price goes to ComicRelief, an organization that helps three groups of children: 1.) Young people with mental health problems 2.) Young people with alcohol problems and 3.) Young people exploited through prostitution, trafficking, and the Internet. I am so glad that JK Rowling did this.

The books themselves should be hilarious to any Potter fan. I found that I enjoyed Fantastic Beasts more than Quiddith simply because it belonged to Harry and had his and Ron's comments scattered throughout. Quiddith was a library book, so no comments there, just a list in the front detailing who had checked it out most recently. Both books include passages from Dumbledore, which are funny and sad, given what we know about Dumbledore's fate.

If students are Potter fans, they will enjoy these books. If not, some may enjoy Fantastic Beasts, but probably not Quidditch.

I Won, I Won!

2009-09-30T19:04:00.000-05:00

As you know, I love reading blogs. One of my favorite things about reading blogs is all of the giveaways! I comment all the time to qualify for prizes, but I've never managed to be "randomly selected"... until now! I won a copy of The Listeners from a blog called 5minutesforbooks. They give away books all the time, often reserving one or two prizes from each giveaway specifically for educators/librarians. I was one of these winners. I cannot wait to introduce this book to my kids and include it in my classroom library. You can click here to see the post where the winners are announced.

A Work in Progress...

2009-09-29T02:00:00.001-05:00

I love to cross stitch! But the problem is, I never know what to do with my creations after I am finished. And I don't want to spend money on things that just sit in our junk room after they're finished. So imagine my excitement when a lady at school asked me if I would like to finish one of her projects. She apparently started it years ago and would like it finished, but doesn't want to do it herself. Enter, me!

This is what the project looks like now...

And this is what it is supposed to look like when it's finished...

Maybe if I post it here I will actually make myself finish it and won't put it off. I do love to do it, I I am just honestly crunched for time. Hopefully I will make myself relax and work on it and maybe, just maybe, it will be finished by Christmas!!

Meal Plan Monday

2009-09-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

Chili - I heart this fall weather!!
Chicken Noodle Soup - my mom gave me this soup mix I really want to try.
Three Cheese Baked Mostaccioli - a new recipe for me! We'll see how it goes. I found it at TastyKitchen.com, a site started by the Pioneer Woman, one of my favorite blogs to read!
Shepherd's Pie - also a new one for me! I don't think I will make it quite like the one linked here. Once again, we'll see!
Grilled Chicken (cooked in Italian Dressing) Possible sides - salad, mashed potatoes, (because I will probably have left overs from the Shepherd's Pie!) green beans...

Meal Plan Monday

2009-09-21T02:00:00.000-05:00

1.) Chicken Tetrazzini (recipe to come later)

2.) Cheeseburgers

3.) Breakfast for Dinner

4.) Leftovers

5.) We'll see... Maybe something new. I didn't try a new recipe last week like I wanted to...

We're Just Like You, Only Prettier Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle

2009-09-20T02:00:00.000-05:00

We're Just Like You, Only Prettier:

Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Belle

Absolutely hillarious! This book is not at all plot-driven - each chapter talks about something different. I like to read books like this when I am in between books, don't feel like thinking very much, or want a bit of light reading. From start to finish, it took me over a year to read. But each time I picked it up, it left me in stitches. And no wonder with chapters titled: Stop Watching Your Plasma TV and Start Selling Plasma - How to Become Honest-to-Jesus White Trash and Stamp out Gossip? - My Best Friend's Mama's Sister's Hairdresser Won't Like This a Bit. If you grew up in the South, most of the chapters will seem very familiar to you. Rivenbark also has a few other books out I may read off and on over the next year. But I can't decide between Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Scattered Hissy Fits or Bless Your Heart, Tramp. You can check out her website here.

Baby Allie and Roxie

2009-09-19T02:00:00.000-05:00

I found this video on my Dad's memory card this summer and love, love, love it! Just wanted to share it for the fun of it. This was filmed before we got married, so Allie is between 3 and 4 months old. Roxie is my Dad's German Shephard and is a member of the K9 Unit of the Bluegrass Search and Rescue Unit. She is the sweetest thing!

My "Baby" Brother

2009-09-18T02:00:00.001-05:00

Today, my baby brother is turning 15. I can't believe it! And as bad as this year is, I don't even want to think about next year's birthday! Every time I see him he is taller and thinner and his voice is deeper!

Happy Birthday, Mark! I love you!

Back in the day!

Me with both of my brothers last summer. He looks so much older just from a year ago! But, it's the most recent picture I have.

Puppy Paddle!!

2009-09-17T02:00:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, the waterpark here in Bowling Green had a fundraiser for the Humane Society. We took Bo and Allie and joined my friend, Brittany with her Boxer, Bella. Paula (Jeff's mom) met us there too and helped keep up with Bo, who hates the water. (Notice how he isn't in any of the pictures!)

Check out all the dogs! You can see Allie trying to beat another dog to a tennis ball. For the most part, she played nice. The only dog she completely ignored was Radar the Weather Dog from WNKY. Radar kept trying to play with her, but she was having none of him!

Brittany and Bella!

So Cute!!

This pic cracks me up! She has a tennis ball in her mouth and you can see her fur going two different directions from shaking herself off.

Wedding Gifts...

2009-09-16T02:00:00.000-05:00

Our most recent purchase...

Why am I blogging about new tv trays??

Two Reasons:

#1 We've wanted them for a while now and I really enjoy them.

#2 I purchased these puppies with the last of our Target gift cards from the wedding. According to my knot.com site, we have been married for 458 days now. I think we've done pretty well to have held on to that $$ for so long! We've used our wedding gift cards from different stores for things like a silverware box, groceries, bakeware, home organizers, shelves, gifts for others, etc. We are so thankful to our friends and family who blessed us with almost $1,000 in gift cards! We still have a few cards left to Kohl's and Bed, Bath and Beyond! I'm thinking maybe a bread maker or maybe some home decor???

Honey-Teriyaki Pineapple Pork Chops

2009-09-14T22:18:00.000-05:00

: ) For Sabrina...

I actually got this recipe out of a Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, but I found it on this site for anyone else who wants it. Of course, I have kind of changed it and made it my own. Especially the cooking time. It takes much longer in my oven than what the recipe calls for. I just kind of flip it so it cooks evenly and take it out when I know it's done. And I definitely don't own a sprayer, i just lightly brush with olive oil.

Here's the recipe:

Makes 4 servingsOlive oil in a sprayer (not store-bought spray that contains propellant) 4 (4-ounce) trimmed boneless pork loin chops (3 1/2-4 1/2-ounce chops are OK), about 3/4" thick1 teaspoon garlic powderSalt, to tasteGround black pepper, to taste8 teaspoons honey teriyaki marinade and sauce (such as Ken's Steak House Marinade and Sauce)4 slices canned pineapple slices in juice, drained

Preheat the broiler.

Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray the foil with olive oil.

Lightly mist both sides of the chops with olive oil and season with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place the chops, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet and broil about 3" from the heat for about 2 minutes (be sure to leave the oven door open a crack when broiling).

Turn the chops and brush or spread 2 teaspoons of the teriyaki marinade evenly over the top of each. Top with pineapple slices.

Broil for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the pineapple and glaze brown lightly and the pork is barely pink inside. Serve immediately.

Nutrition at a GlancePer serving: 199 calories, 26 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 75 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 234 mg sodium

Meal Plan Monday!!

2009-09-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

In an effort to better organize my life, I am trying to plan out my meals further ahead of time. I used to be much better about it, but have slacked off A LOT lately. If I plan in advance, I can make less grocery trips and save $$. I am not so organized that I know what we're having on what night, but I think that's okay. Sometimes I get home and am just not in the mood for what I had originally plan. So, here are some of our choices this week:

1.) "angel" pizza - what jeff calls my semi-homemade pizza (sausage and pineapple)

2.) grilled chicken in italian dressing and a vegetable side

3.) honey-teriyaki pineapple pork chops and a vegetable side

4.) pizza-mac casserole

5.) salsa chicken & rice

6.) some new dish - my goal is to find a good recipe I want to try this week, hopefully a good one : )

Possible vegetable sides: corn, green beans, potatoes (baked, mashed, or twice-baked)

Have a good week!

Wicked - The Book and the Musical

2009-09-13T17:27:00.000-05:00

So even though I am not one of those kids who really, really likes musicals (you know, the ones who know all the words to every current popular musical), I do enjoy a good show. I have seen a few in New York that are just plain awesome and I enjoy movie musicals like Chicago and Phantom. So when Jeff's parents asked if we would like to go see Wicked in Nashville, I was really excited (Jeff - not so much). To prepare for the show, I decided to read the book the musical is based on.

This book was really interesting. The author, Gregory Maguire, reveals the true story of the Wicked Witch of the West and shows that as usual, things are not always what they seem. Maguire gives the "witch" a past and a name, Elphaba. The reader also gets the back story of Glinda the Good Witch, a one-time friend of Elphaba's. Some parts were a little vulgar for me and, I thought, unnecessary. However, they were not so bad that I was not able to look passed them. In fact, the book left me wanting to read the second book in the series, Son of a Witch, which, you guessed it, tells the story of Liir, the son of the "Wicked Witch." He also has a third installment which tells the story of the Cowardly Lion. But first, I may take a break from Oz and read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.

After finishing the book, I looked online to read a little more about the muscial and discovered that the two were very, very different. I did not want to be disappointed in the show, so I decided I had to go in with no expectations and promised myself that I would not spend the whole time comparing the show to the book. And I have to say, I was not at all disappointed. I enjoyed the musical just as much if not more than I enjoyed reading the book. The muscial was much more funny, happy, and upbeat - three things that the book is not. If the musical had been done like the book, it would probably come across as long, boring, and depressing. The writers of the musical did an awesome job. The actors were also amazing and the two leads had AMAZING voices. I would definitely recommend that anyone who had the chance to see the show definitely take it!

The whole night was awesome. We went to Nashville early and ate at an Italian place called Maggiano's. The food was served family style and tasted great! It was so rich, I could hardly eat more than a few bites of one thing! So thank you Mel and Paula for a great night out! And also, thanks to my husband, Jeff, who is not a musical fan and who missed the first night of college football season without too much complaining. Thank the Lord for DVR!

A Dog's Life - The Autobiography of a Stray

2009-08-29T10:33:00.000-05:00

Being the dog person that I am, I was instantly interested when I saw this book in a scholastic catalogue. And when I noticed that it was written by Ann M. Martin, I knew it was definitely on my wish-list. (Yes, I grew up in the era of The Babysitters Club series. I was the proud owner of #'s 1-100. Yes, seriously.)

I really enjoyed this book. Many parts made me cry and a few made me laugh. It made me want to go home and love on my dogs. It also made me want to adopt every stray dog on the planet : ) I would definitely recommend this book for all students intermediate and above. It will expose the student to death and grief in a serious way, but not in a way that is too heavy for their level of maturity. It is unique and well written so that adults could really enjoy it as well.

Scholastic.com has a great site with more resources related to this book, including a really great message from Martin about writing. Find it here.