New Name...New Era...

Hello All!  First, I apologize for leaving you all.  We successfully moved to the country house.  Then, everything changed.  (I was tempted to write "fell apart", but I'll let you decide.)

In May of 2012, D moved back to the city.  In 2013, little man and I sold the big house and bought an ADORABLE little place on a third of an acre.  We now live in a town with a massive population of 250ish.  The house has needed and still needs some work.  I have been very much enjoying that process and I'll be sharing some of those stories on here. 

I am currently working 2 part time jobs.  I teach police classes and do some grant writing.  Times are thin, but we are getting by.  I'm sure I'll be sharing those stories too.

God bless...I'm glad to be back. 

Living in a Cardboard Jungle!

Well, we are moving on Monday.  We are truly living in a cardboard jungle.  Our internet will be disconnected today, so I'm rushing to tell you all "Howdy".  :)

My family and friends have really come through to help us declutter and pack.  Tyler is enjoying the company.

I'll be starting a new series of posts once we get a little settled in at the new place.  The house is really unique and I'm excited to share it with you all.  I'm even contemplating a YouTube channel.  (My brother is pushing that 'brilliant' idea.)

God bless and I'll be back soon. 

The Lord is Teaching Me, Reinventing the Wheel, and Other Ramblings...

Yesterday, I found out that our move out of the city will have to be postponed for a week or two.  I am living in a cardboard jungle with a baby, so that is very frustrating.  I also need to get my garden planted.  Yesterday, I was able to go to the new place and put in strawberries, roses, and a blackberry bush.  The current owner said she'd water them for me.  So, that is good.  Last night, I resolved to plant what I can when we move and make a bigger garden next year.  ::sigh:: 

I spent some time this morning reading scripture on patience and "hurry up and wait".  It made me feel better and I know there is a reason for it all. 

I had a great time talking with my grandpa JT yesterday.  JT is a quiet man and we've never really had much in common.  We took a walk around his property (he lives about 15 minutes from our new place).  He told me all about his plantings and gardens.  I picked up some great tips.  As we drove to our new place, I felt so grateful to finally be at a place in life where I don't have to reinvent the wheel and can really appreciate knowledge that others share with me. 

You know, I wish Grandma J, Grandpa JT, and I had been closer.  It turns out that we're not so different.  Grandma J is a great cook and canner.  (Although she's given up canning and has graciously offered me all of her jars.)  Grandpa JT was a reserve police officer for a time. 

No time like the present to build that relationship...right?  It's kind of exciting to imagine what else I can learn from them.

That's my ramblings for now...
God bless you all!

YAY! And YAY!

Hello All!

Let's see...I have been packing, as much as I can while still having at least a month before we move.  I took a van full of stuff the resale shop.  That felt SOOOOOOOO good.  YAY #1!

YAY #2 is a little more of story to tell.

I've got some of my seeds started.  Here's a picture:

The blue cups are seeds sent by this guy named Ray on YouTube.  He gives GREAT gardening advice and this year offered FREE SEEDS!!!  I couldn't pass them up.  I have tomatoes, carrots, jalapeno, and spinach in those cups.
(Side note:  time to make more laundry soap...)

The plastic bag is jalapenos, Serrano, banana peppers, and tomatoes.  All are seeds that I saved from last year.  The YAY is that the tomatoes are actually seeds from my dear stepmother-in-laws family.  They have a tomato farm in Hempstead, Texas.  Here is after six days:

SPROUTS!!!  I haven't told J (Stepmother-in-law) that I saved the seeds.  I wanted to make sure I didn't mess them up.  :)  Anyway, I am so excited.

By the way, the seed pots are sitting on a heating pad.  Ray recommended it and so far, so good.  Here's a link to his channel...http://www.youtube.com/user/Praxxus55712

I have more seeds to start, but with the move, I had to be reasonable. 

And, here's is my sunshine in his overalls.  So CUTE if I do say so myself. 

Me and my little sunshine.  (I know I need makeup and wrinkle cream, but I like this picture.)

God bless ya'll!!!

Progress Report

There is much excitement around here.  Last Tuesday, I got a bit of a sore throat.  By Wednesday, my joints were aching really intensely.  My Dad and JW ran to Tyler's rescue and picked him up.  I went to the doctor and got some heavy duty antibiotics. 

Two days later, feeling much better, I got my little man back with a surprise.  He had cut his first tooth!  Now, I told him not to grow up, but he's not listening.  God had a plan when he made humans co-dependant on their families.  I don't know how I would have been able to deal with the fussiness and drool while too weak to take care of me.

On another note, I have made progress on getting us ready to move.  I have decided to take the advice posted by Cast and Elizabeth on my last blog.  I have two boxes open as I make my way through the house.  One for donation/resale and one for moving with us.  On each item, I ask:  Will I use this in the next 30 days?  If yes, then I leave it.  If no, it goes in one of the boxes.  It seems to be working.  Just before our actual move, I'll invite some trusted friends and family over for a packing party.  It'll be great to say, "If it's here, pack it".

I started my tomato and pepper plants this morning as well.  They're just in egg crates for now, next will be little plastic cups, and then it's off the the new place.  I hope they move well.  I'll be able to take them to the new house a few days before our move and get them in the ground.  That is, if I can find the time.  I went nuts and bought a few seeds for the garden.  In trying to keep it simple, I only bought radishes, cucumbers, and beans.  I hope they forgive me to getting them in a little late.  I'm hoping that our long summers will work in my favor.

God bless...

Where to start...

Well, it is a crying shame.  I KNOW we're moving in 4 to 6 weeks.  I KNOW the house is considerably smaller than this one.  What I don't know is, where to start.

I have henpecked at decluttering.  The kitchen is done and the half bath as well.  But, that's it.  I'm feeling like I won't be ready which is insane since I have enough time to get a lot done...  I'll feel terrible if we move stuff we don't need just because I didn't get around to it.

So I wander around aimlessly between diapers, bottles, and play-with-me-mommy, picking up 'low hanging fruit' to put in the pile to be donated or sold.

We have a room upstairs that is just box after box of papers and such.   The garage is full of one-day-we'll-use-this.  Ugh... 

Please...please...please...if you have any words of comfort or wisdom...please share them. 

Introducing our little miracle...

On October 8, 2010, God blessed us with Tyler...

(5 days old...finally home)

It was the most amazing thing that I have ever experienced.  Tyler was born via C-Section.  I was a nervous wreck.  I had a mini panic attack as they prepared me for surgery.  I was so scared that something would go wrong.  After opening me up, I heard someone say, "it's a beautiful baby boy"...and then I heard him cry.  Then, I cried.

He was beautiful...words cannot explain how I felt the first time I saw him. 

My twin sister was in the room and she was smiling so big that I swear her smile touched both of her ears.  Tyler tinkled on her (he actually tinkled on everything and everybody...he was mad that they woke him up, I guess).  Anyway, we spent 4 days in the hospital and that felt like FOREVER!!!

We're home now and I wake up feeling so blessed everyday.  Here's a couple of more current pictures:

 Fun in my exersaucer!

(Driving Uncle C's van!)

Well, I should be working on packing (decluttering) while he's resting.

God bless you all as He has blessed me!!!

Hello...

Well, we had a BEAUTIFUL little boy.  He was a couple of weeks early, but came into this world with very little trouble. 

I don't know where to start this blog.  I feel very overwelmed with information to share with you all.  The biggest news is that (drum roll please...)

WE ARE MOVING ABOUT 80 MILES OUTSIDE OF THE BIG CITY!!! 

I'm so excited!  The property is about an acre.  It does have a lot of trees, so I'll have to be diligent about where to put my gardens.  The house is owned by my stepmother's mom.  Her son built it.  We are all excited that it is staying in the family.  She is 78 years old and wants to downsize.  The house is a story of its own and I'll have to share that with you on another posting.  (It feels odd to refer the JW as my stepmother.  She is a true sweetheart and we all love her.  We introduce her as our sister/mom.  She has the neatest family too.  That's another post too, I reckon.)

For now, we are frantically getting our house ready for selling.  I am busy at home with my little angel.  I did quit my job as a police officer; however, I am signed up as a reserve officer.  My dear husband has been working 3 jobs to keep little man and me safely at home.  God bless him.  (Once this house sells, he'll be able to go back down to 1 job as it will be a lot less expensive.)  The family has been helping out a lot too. 

God is good and I will be back soon...  Blessings to you all...

Hello...I'm huge!

Hey Everyone!

Well, I have 37 days until little man gets here and I am feeling HUGE!  Doctor says I'm fine, but I'm freaking out about losing all this weight after he gets here.  Please pray for me. 

Yesterday, my angelic twin took me clothes shopping.  She was so patient when I had to stop and sit down.  She must be sick of my always being sick and out of breath.  I love ya' Cast!  Thanks for putting up with me!  Anyway, we went looking for outfits for our baby and had a great time being mushy over them.  Actually, she and her husband bought an adorable outfit for our baby to wear home from the hospital.  It says "little prince".  SOOOOOOOOOOOO cute!!!  I got a modest set of pajamas to wear at the hospital and around the house afterward.  I also got a really cute little girl outfit for my best friend Bambi.  His wife is having a girl in January.  I'm so excited that the kids will be able to play together.  I am trapped in a world of incredible cuteness y'all!!!! 

Well, that's about it from here.  Oh, there's oodles more going on, but I'm really tired and the macaroni and cheese that I have craved ALL DAY is really making me sick now.  So, God bless and I'll be back soon.

I'm Baaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkkkkkkk........

Hi all!  I'm back...

It's been quite a while and, as life would have it, a lot has changed.  Hmmm...let's start with what hasn't changed, shall we?

I'm still having a baby.  It's a little boy and he's due on October 13th.  (Which is the same day that my identical twin had her daughter!  Only, that was 13 years ago.)  I'm still very sick.  It seems that all the scar tissue from when I was run over by a car is tearing as I gain baby weight and let-me-tell-ya, it HURTS LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS!!!  But, we are getting closer and closer to due date and then it should be done.

I am working at a desk in our warrant division.  If you're wanted, it's my job to try and find ya...  It's a pretty good group of people, so I really appreciate it.

Due to my constant illness and diminished lung capacity (another consequence that a drunk driver left me with), I am banned from climbing stairs or being in the heat for more than 10 minutes at a time.  A couple of weeks ago, D finally gutted my beautiful garden.  It was sad, but very overgrown and neglected.  I'll get back to it next year...  ::mournful sigh::

I did manage to pick a few peppers (jalepeno and serrano) from the kitchen window garden.  Today, I pickled them.

When I have the energy, I cook.  So far, I'm just trying desperately to get ready for the arrival of our little man.  It's difficult since his room is upstairs and I am not really able to go up and down right now.  :(

OK, enough whining.  Not much longer and I'll be back in the swing of things.  I'll try to post more often and more positive.

God's blessings!!!

More Pickles!!!

Hey All!

Today I was blessed with 6 cucumbers, a pile of green beans, and one onion from my garden.

I got worried that the cucumbers I had picked the other day would go bad, so I have been pickling most of the evening.  Here are the photographs:

I seasoned these myself (with a recipe of course).  Fresh dill, garlic, mustard seed, and love.  I sure hope they come out good.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.  So, while the pickles were in the water bath, I blanched the green beans.

I forgot to take an after picture, but they were bright green and beautiful.  They are now in the freezer for later.  I SO need a pressure cooker.  :)

I was born to be in the kitchen!!!  I love it!

Anyway, it is so very exciting to have made all of those pickles from homegrown ingredients.  I am ready to make some more jelly.  Guess it's time to go back to the farmer's market.  :)

OK, I'm tired...Off to bed!!!  God bless...

It's Shake and Bake and I Helped...

That's how giddy I feel!  I am exhausted after a LONGGGGGGGG night at work, but I had to drop in and share a quick garden update [ummm...drum roll please Maestro...]

I know what you're thinking:  "Ooooo...Awwww...".  Well those beauties were picked a couple of days ago.  Sit down, fasten your seat belts, and hang on, because this morning when I got home I picked this:  (Maestro???  Hello?!?...this guy is awful with clues!!!) 

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!  Pickles for everyone!!!  OK, just for first few people.  LOL!

Sorry for all the goofiness.  I'm really tired. 

On another note, check out the belly I'm working on:

I feel HUGE and it's only week 19!!!  Long row to hoe folks.  :)

And, just because I like it.  My brother snapped this shot while guarding the Police Officer Memorial yesterday.  I thought I would share it.  Ladies and gentlemen...our beloved H-town:

OK, enough ramblings.  Lil critter and I need rest.  God's blessings to you all. 

First Canning Experience and Garden Update...

My sisters and I had a big time at the farmers market.  It seems that it was a little early in the season yet.  They didn't have a lot of fresh stuff, but it was enough to make me as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning!!!

This morning, I got up feeling better, so I made strawberry jam and dill pickles.  Now, go easy on me as this is my VERY first attempt at canning/pickling.  I've watched Memaw do it, but I was a lot younger and there were horses to play with...so...I was outta there as soon as possible.  LOL!

Anyway, I got some beautiful strawberries at the market, so I started with jam.  It turned out that I only had a enough for one pint jar (and about a 1/3 of another...that one is in the fridge.  I'll put it on pancakes or waffles.)  Anyway, drum roll please...  Here is my very first, don't-be-to-hard-on-the-rookie, Strawberry Jam!!!

OK, I know I should have taken more of the froth off.  Live and learn right?   :)

I taste tested the little bit in the fridge and YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!  It's so much fresher than store bought.

Then, I tried the pickles.  Since it was my first go at it, I bought Ball Dill Pickle Mix.  WARNING:  They color it or something because I now have a pickle-green spoon.  LOL!  I had enough cucumbers to make 2 quarts and one pint.  By the way, in the middle of preparing to make pickles, I heard the heavenly sound of the Strawberry Jam jar sucking in the lid to create a seal.  YAY!!!!!!!  WOO-HOO!!!  Seriously y'all, the clouds parted and the sun shone through into my kitchen.  I would have done a snoopy dance, but you know how that goes for me lately...morning sickness.  So, here are my pickles:

Two lessons learned, I will season them myself in the future and you have to really cram those babies in there so they aren't floating so much.  And, yes, I heard the blissful "I'm sealed" pop three more times!!!  YAY!!!!

So, we'll give them the recommended shelf time and I'll let y'all know how they taste.

On to the garden...More exciting things going on there.  Here are the pictures:

Cucumbers, peas, tomatoes.  Yippee!  More awesome news:  D has promised to double the size of the garden next year.    The kitchen garden is also growing well.  God is blessing us.

A couple of weeks ago, D told me to buy a new oven because mine is dying a slow and painful death (read:  set to 350 degrees and get either 150 or 5,000 degrees).  Our house was built in 1982 and I'm pretty sure the oven is earlier than that.  So, this AWESOME guy at Lowe's helped me pick a new one.  Pardon me if I drool on the keyboard...It's a stainless steel Whirlpool.  Momma HAPPY!!!  Anyway, it was to be delivered on May 22nd, but they just called to say it would be here Monday.  Momma VERY HAPPY!!!  We have to get the klunker disconnected and they'll take it away.  Our neighbor, S, has graciously offered to install the new one as he had to replace his last year.  I'm even getting a bigger oven.  We currently have a 27 inch wall mount.  S said he got a 30 inch in his with just a little 'tweaking'.  I've seen it and it looks very nice.

SO EXCITED...SO EXCITED...SO EXCITED...  Someone do the Snoopy dance for me...  :)

On another note, work is planning to take me off of patrol on June 5th.  I'm very very very sad to have to be reassigned as I love my job.  But, it's just to dangerous for lil critter.  I'll get back to it soon enough.  Desk duty is kindof dull, but it's temporary...right???

Anyway, "Hi!" to my new friend Elizabeth from Six Golden Coins.  I love her blog.  There's a link here on my page.  Check it out!

Take care and I'll be back soon.

Baby Blues and Garden Goodness...

Hey All!  My apologies for the delay in posting.  Life is busy...Morning sickness whipping me...Fatigue...You get the picture.

I want to go on and on about how I feel like a useless member of society, but I'll let the picture tell the story.  I am titling this "Pregnancy is..."

This is how I feel most of the time.  Meet Forrest...he's a "special little man".  D refers to him as 'touched'.  Uh, yeah...that will work.  He is just a little sloooooooowwwwwwww.  But we love him.  This picture was taken the day after Hurricane Ike upset everything for miles.  He's truly traumatized...really...no really...you just can't tell because he's sleeping like a baby full of cereal.  :)

Anyway, my canning supplies are pretty much all here.  (I still need a pressure cooker...but I'm not letting that stop me.)  My sister's and I are planning a run to a sort of local farmer's market on Monday and I CAN NOT wait.  I just hope I'm not sick the whole time.  (I missed work last night.  You do not want details.)

The garden is growing like crazy and I am very excited about that.  There are several tomatoes that the birds had better NOT eat.    Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!  The squash and cucumbers are coming along VERY nice as well.  The pea plants had the prettiest little flowers on them.

A few days later we had...

Yay!!!   I would usually be doing a snoopy dance, but if I move to much, baby protests.  Then I'm back to praying to the porcelain gods.  Last week, I finally got my kitchen window garden put in.  I know...I know...it's late, but I have to do things when baby lets me.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Here's a picture...

I have serrano peppers, jalepeno peppers, sweet banana peppers, basil, dill, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, parsley, and mint.  Let the cooking begin!  Or, we can wait a little while to let these little beauties grow a bit.  :)

Little critter is 17 weeks along and doing well.  The poor thing is already grounded for life for making me so sick.  LOL!  Just kidding!!!  We'll find out the gender at the June 1st appointment.  We're excited and constantly bantering about whether it's a boy or girl.  D keeps referring to the baby as "he", I gently correct and say "or she" and the fight is on.  It's all in good fun and we're excited either way! 

That's about it from here.  Having the family over on Monday night, which is always a HOOT!  Catch y'all next time!

Radishes are in!!!

I know..I know...I said I'd wait until Monday to harvest my radishes.  But, it's been a rough week at work and I needed the distraction.  So, here they are:  (drum roll please)

YAY!  I took a little time to clean them and...

These greens will be made into a soup and frozen for winter...

There were more radishes, but D came in as I was cleaning them.  He took a few.

Not bad for a first harvest from a small city garden.  I was SO tempted to make refrigerator pickled radishes, but we'll probably eat all of these in all their raw splendor tomorrow.

I'll plant another row in the morning and when those come in, I'll probably preserve them.

I'm giddy that summer is here and can't wait for the other harvests.

By the way, little critter hit 15 weeks yesterday.  I'm still fighting nausea and have found comfort in my scheduled doctor's appointment on May 4th.  I just know she'll fix it.  :)  I feel like I have gained a little to much weight.  My online tracker says that I'm in the acceptable range, but the graph shows me at the top of 'acceptable', so little critter may WANT Mexican food, but he/she will be getting taco salad sans the meat for a while.  I have found that I can successfully hold down the following simple meal while at work:

I take one avocado and mash it with 1/2 tablespoon of mayo then scoop and eat it with a celery stock or two.  It's really refreshing too.  I'm sure I'll get bored with this meal.  When that happens, I'll add a cheese or tomato chunks to switch it up.

Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie Workout...

A dear friend of mine at work (nickname:  C-Ram) is transferring to another shift, so tonight, we're all bringing in 'goodies'.We can cook really well and the one thing we can do even better is EAT.  I wonder if we'll actually hear anything Sarge says in roll call. 

Anyway, I've decided to make Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies.   C-Ram loves them.  So, I got up around 1pm.  (I work night shift and try to sleep between 8am and 3ish...I'm usually unsuccessful...but I digress...)  The recipe calls for a stick of softened butter.  I know this.  I have made these cookies countless times.  But I was sleepy I guess and didn't soften the butter enough.  I forged on with the recipe.

I stirred, mashed, begged, walked away, came back, stirred, mashed, begged and finally A BATTER WAS BORN!!!  Then, of course, I was worried that the egg and flour had taken excessive abuse and would be tough.  Oh no!  What if all I had to share with the team was new bulging biceps and brick cookies?!?!? 

Well...

God is smiling on me because here I sit with a piping hot cup of decaf coffee, sore upper arms, and a delicious cookie!  YAY!  I should probably try to get a little more sleep before heading off to work. 

First Harvest...sort of...

My calendar told me it was time to pick the radishes.  So, I picked just one.

I think I'll leave the others for about 5 days longer.  Anyway, I am drooling over the beautiful radish greens.  YUM!  Can't wait to fix them up in a stew or big salad!

I'd have strawberries to show you, but the birds keep getting to them before I do.  Grrrrrr...

I'm off to start laundry and run errands.  Today I need to go to Kroger, the bank, and get a new tire.  And, if there's time, I'll sneak over to Lowe's or a garden center to see what other dirt I can get into.  Probably should spruce up around the house too.  Right now, I'm not battling with the morning sickness.  I have to get things done when I feel good.  Tonight, we are supposed to go to dinner with the in-laws.  They are really nice and I am looking forward to that!

Ya'll have a GREAT day!

Want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans...

I've decided to start this blog because God has sent me in a whole new direction in life...again...

A few years back, I was run over by a car and sustained serious injuries. While that was life changing, I had NO idea what God had in store for me. Anyway, as a result of that crash, I was told that I would never have children. So, my dear husband, we'll call him "D", and I settled into planning retirement and skipping bottles, diapers and college funds. We were looking at property out in the country. D was excited to work in the 'shed' and watch the Military Channel. I was excited to spend my days in the kitchen canning pickles and jellies. After holding a job (career) for the last 22+ years, I was getting ready to settle into a simple life. And, to be completely honest, after that car accident, working seemed so secondary to just enjoying God's blessings...you know?

Well, on March 13, 2010, I was in another car accident. I was transported to the Emergency Room of a local hospital where I was told by a very nice doctor that I was 10 weeks pregnant. I actually argued with the poor man.

But here I am...and here we go.

At 40 years old, I'm going to be a Mom. We won't have any extra money and D has already picked up a second job. God bless the man. My how things change!

We won't be moving out to the country as soon as we planned, but I am resolved to bring that way of life to our home here...in the city.

So, I have a garden, nice kitchen, GREAT family, and you all. I'm sure I will stumble along the way. Let's laugh about it together.

Wish me luck...