Two days....

Surgery is in two days...and the butterflies in my tummy are certainly doing their thing. Getting a bit nervous. I am trusting that I will be just fine.

Swimming!!!

I really do think that Alison is part fish. She loves the pool and has spent more time in the water this summer than out!

Medical update...

Apparently there was a conflict with the 2nd surgeon that needs to be present for my surgery, so my surgery date has been moved up to August 27th!!! As scared as I am, I will be happy to not be in pain any more!

Hair cut...

Alison was so proud of herself for helping daddy cut his hair!! He did have to fix a few spots. ;)

Friends...

Alison has been missing her friends Coleson and Jade tremendously since we moved in January. We were able to get together with our dear friends last night for a BBQ...the kids had so much fun!

ouch

Nugget went to sit down on her little chair and it slipped out from under her! Ouch!! She is fine but it still hurt a bit. And she did get an extra bedtime story. :)

Lunch with a friend...

I went to lunch with my friend Kristen today. We had a very hard laugh when she got her fortune. So silly!!!!

Medical stuff....

I usually use this blog to post random family stuff and tons of pictures of Nugget. But I decided to share because it is scary and the more support I can get the better. Alison is my miracle baby. Getting pregnant was not something that came easy to us. We tried for years before we were blessed. The pregnancy was another hard time. I bled most of the pregnancy and was on strict rest schedule. I finally had my healthy baby girl at 37 weeks via c-section. Ever since having her (five years ago) I have had issues with my cycles. I would bleed heavily for most of each month. Which of course limited our ability to have another baby. Recently though, the bleeding started and wouldn't stop. I was put on all sorts of medications to get the bleeding to stop (which it has, for the moment) and many tests have been done. Ultrasounds and biopsies. The conclusion...I need a hysterectomy. I will get to keep my ovaries so I will be able to go through menopause naturally but of course, it is still very scary. Surgery is scheduled for September 10th. I will be glad to no longer be in pain or having the excessive bleeding but it is nerve wracking. I just hope that everything goes according to plan and that my family is strong through all this.

Closet

Since it has been so hot outside and we are stuck in the house with A/C...I figured I should tackle Nugget's closet. Now sure how...when we just moved in January that her closet was able to become such a mess so quickly! I was able to sort through all of her clothes and filled a giant black garbage bag of clothes for Goodwill.

Brush fire...

On the 4th of July there was a large brush fire near my in-laws house. We were not able to get too close of course but we were able to see the smoke from the car. It was neat to see the helicopters (there were two but I only got a picture of one) dipping their buckets in the pond next to my in-laws house to get more water for the fire. It took quite some time to get the fire out and it did jump a major roadway. Thankfully no one was hurt and no structures burned.

Park fun...

Having so much fun at the park! It was finally a bit cooler so we were able to go. It has been so hot that we mostly stayed inside with the A/C or in the pool! Cute picture even though her eyes are closed!

Last week we headed 5 hours south to Coos Bay. Out of the five days there, we had one sunny day. The rest of the time it was cloudy and freezing!! We stayed at a great campground that has tons of activities for kids and Alison had a blast hanging out with her cousin Jolee and Madison. The men went crabbing and we spent quite some time cooking and shelling crab! So yummy!!! Can't wait for our trip next year!!!

Cousin Jolee enjoying the ocean and the sun!!

Sweet hubby playing frisbee with the kids...

lots of bike riding...

Sweet aunts enjoying the campfire...

Food!

We love food at our house! I just had to take a picture of last night's dinner cooking away on the stove. Pork chops and corn on the cob! yum!!!

I thought this would be fun.....

ABC's of housework

Aprons – Yes or No? 

Oh yes. I love Aprons!!!

Bathrooms – How many do you have?

Only two!

Clothesline – Do you have one?
i wish!!  Our backyard is situated on a rocky hill...there would be no where to hang it.

Dusting – How often?
At least once a week.

Everyday – One housekeeping task you do everyday?
I sweep and mop the kitchen floor every day.

Family – Does your family help with household chores?

Oh yes.  Alex pitches in all the time and Alison has her own chores that she has to do.

Garbage Disposal – Do you have one?
Yes, thank goodness.  We used to live in a house that was on a septic and didn't have one.  I hated it.  So glad we have one now.

Home Management Notebook – Do you use one? What’s in it?
I have tried.  can't seem to keep at it though.

Ironing – Love it or hate it?
Hate it.  I only iron when I must.  Most of our clothes do not require ironing.  

Junk Drawer – Where is it?
In the kitchen.  The drawer next to the sink.

Kitchen – Design and decor?
I don't really have an actual style.  Touches of the color red around....simple.

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
Making dinner and then sitting down for dinner as a family every day.
Mopping – How often does it get done?
I mop the kitchen floor every day.  The bathrooms, at least twice a week.

Natural Cleaning Products– Do you use them?
Yes, I am a huge fan of vinegar.

Overwhelmed – What part of homemaking stresses you out the most?

Clutter.

Pets – Do you have any mess-making critters in the house?
Yep.  A giant dog and three cats.  The fish in the tank don't seem to make any messes.

Quiet – What do you enjoy doing when you get a quiet moment?
Sit outside and enjoy the nice breeze.

Recipes – How do you organize them?
I have a recipe box.

Style of House – What kind of home do you live in?
All one level, duplex.

Tablecloth – Do you use one on a regular basis?
I love table cloths and own many!!
Under the Kitchen Sink – What do you have under there?
The bag that all the recylcling goes in.  Spray bottle with vinegar/water.  Extra paper towels.

Vacuuming – How many times a week does it get done?
At least every other day.

Washing Clothes – How many loads do you do a week?
 About 5.

X’s – Do you keep a to-do list and cross the tasks off?
Not always.  If we have company coming over or it is a holiday, I make a list so I know everything gets done.

Yard Work – Who does what?
Mostly the hubby!!

ZZZ’s – What is your last housekeeping task of the day?

Making sure that my and Alison's clothes are laid out for the next day.  

Bailey...

It is with a heavy heart to say that we lost a dear member of our family last night. Poor Bailey, over the last few days had lost his ability to walk or hold his urine. We made the tough decision to put him down. We found a very great organization that actually came to the house to perform the procedure. We were all able to say our goodbyes and he went very peacefully. He will always be in our hearts!

Pictures...

I have not done an update in forever! I will do a detailed update soon but in the mean time...some cute pictures of Nugget!!!

Fish!!

We have three new members of our family. For her birthday, Alison wanted fish! So....we went to the pet store and picked out three lovely goldfish. She has been doing a great job of remembering to feed them. We did decide to put the tank in the kitchen on the counter...I was worried if they were out of sight that they would be out of mind. And I didn't want them to perish too quickly! so far, so good. They seem happy with their new home! Let me introduce, Kathleen, Gina and Lacey!

Last night we celebrated Alison's birthday. As per tradition the birthday girl got to pick the meal. On the menu was: Steak Mashed potatoes Spaghetti Little hot dogs Chocolate cake I didn't get any pictures of the meal but did get a picture of the chocolate cake. We were joined by Nana and Papa and our family friend Chase. It was so nice to celebrate her birthday together!!!

pond...

She fought the pond and the pond won!!!!  She also ended up with scratches all over her face and arms.  She was more upset that her boots were wet!!!

Happy birthday!!!

Today, five years ago at 5:34am...a beautiful little girl was born. Weighing in at 7 pounds and seven ounces just as her mama did before her. It was the best day of my whole life, the day that little girl made me a mama! Happy birthday to my sweet nugget girl! Mama loves you to the moon and back!!!

Bacon!!!

Everyone in our house loves bacon...including the cats!! Here is a very rare picture of all three...waiting for hubby to share some bacon!!!

Rainbow!!!

We had some rain yesterday..and with it came this awesome double rainbow! I just had to take a picture!

Beautiful morning!!!

Thrift store finds!!!

We went to Value Village (our local thrift store) and found some cute things! Two dresses for Alison and two skirts for me!!!! The yellow dress for Alison is a Hanna Anderson, that is a very expensive brand! We got it for $1.50! And it is in great condition!!!

I love both of these skirts I found for myself...they will be great for Summer!! The bottom one is a bit thing so it will certainly need a slip, but it was just so pretty I had to get it!!

Two dresses for Alison and two skirts for me...total spent $12!!! How awesome is that? I love it when we find things with the 50% off tag!!!

Making beef stock!

I started this soup bone on the stove at about 9am and it has been simmering away. I will have some great beef stock at the end of the day. I plan on cooling it and freezing it and then I can just take some out when I need it for soup, stew or gravy! YUM!!!

Picnic dinner at the park...

We have been having such wonderful weather that we decided after hubby got off work that we would go have a picnic supper at the park! It was so nice!!! We didn't even need a jacket when we first got there as it was still warm enough...as the sun started to set a little it got a bit chilly but by that time we were ready to head home. Since Miss Ali slipped off a step and took a tumble. Skinned elbow and knee but nothing a kiss from mama, a band-aid and some ice cream at home couldn't fix!!

Handsome hubby!!

Having fun!!

Me!!

Enjoying some chicken!!

Family of three!!!

We are really enjoying this early Spring! It is supposed to be almost 70 on Saturday!!