wannabe Crafter

A Random Wall Collage....

2012-02-09T09:06:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to actually get things on the walls in this house...

yes, I've lived here for almost 8 months and I'm just now getting around to hanging things.

It's just the way things are ;)

Thank goodness for this "nesting" that has kicked in or else I think they'd be bare forever!

This house has super high ceilings and big bare walls and I keep drawing a blank as to how to decorate them with more than just pictures.

Enter wall montage/collage...

This area was my first attempt in the living room and I'm loving it! I went with a "natural" kinda theme, but it felt like it was missing something at the very bottom before Christmas (I had plonked a Christmas thingy there for the time being).

Leave it to the ever craft Amy and the Christmas package she sent me with a lovely dictionary page wreath she made me!
Filled in the last spot and I love it!
Sorry there's no close up of it, I'll have to get a shot of that another day.
And the painting of the farm/horse was a random thing I got at a garage sale and I originally got it for the frame, but when I brought it home I just fell in love with the whole thing! Oh $2 art, you make me happy :)

And remember these perdy things?!?....

Well, I have to say, one of them turned was a crafty success and the other a giant FAIL!

I'm not done with the transformation, but I'll hopefully have an after picture (and plenty of the epic "fail") up tomorrow.... we'll see if I can fix that one.

Might be more than one human can do though ;)

Things Goin' Round My Head....

2012-02-06T13:40:00.001-05:00

*I had no computer this weekend.... it was oddly nice.

*Zach had the weekend off

*in our world, that means he was working at home all weekend because he's crazy and had to prepare five presentations for this coming weekend.

*Yup, five. Over achieve much?!?

*Zach's too smart. Yeah, I said it.

*all that to say, he still spent tons of time with Aubrey and of course made time for the Super Bowl ;)

*oh, and he vacuumed for me....pretty sure I said "I do" all over again when he did that... it's the little things that make a marriage go round people!

*we're headed to a conference this coming weekend.... by "we" I mean Zach is and it's close enough that we get to tag along and benefit from the free hotel room :)

*it's at a Ritz Carlton a few hours from us

*um RITZ CARLTON....for free?!? I'm SO in!

*Zach being an aggressively smart, over achiever has it's benefits ;)

*I love my husband.

*only he would get us a 2 night stay at the Ritz when we're dirt poor!

*my "nesting" is in full force.

*I'm hauling out all the gender neutral clothing we have for baby and washing it all.

*I'm ripping off all the cloth parts of the baby bouncers, mats, etc to wash them...

*not sure why, but I feel I need to get this all done today.

*it has really start to hit me, with all this contraction and dehydration drama I've had, that this baby can come at any time... and we're SO not prepared!

*names?! Nope.

*crib up? Nope.

*sewing projects I planned on getting done?! Not even close.

*time to get my butt in gear.

Just A Little Imagination....

2012-02-03T16:49:00.000-05:00

To you and me this is just an ordinary toy cash register....

but to Aubrey?!

the cash register and measuring tape are so much more...

I love when their imagination goes into full force...

To Aubrey it's an ultrasound machine/heart rate monitor and tape measure to see how big the baby is :)

I mean, how precious is she?!

I took these next two on my phone the day after the whole hospital incident...

I wanted to just eat her up! So serious, and gentle. She kept asking me if I was OK and if the heart "beep" was good.

Love. Her.

And here I am.... large and in charge at 34 weeks!

I've got myself a booty with this pregnancy...good times ;)

Not going to lie, it's in black and white because I was a weeeee bit hormonal that day and my face might have been a bit blotchy from crying... just sayin'.

Well That Escalated Quickly....

2012-02-01T17:26:00.001-05:00

Today has been a low-key day.

I needed it after yesterday....

Let's just say yesterday took a turn for the crazy.

I had a scheduled midwife appointment at 1:30 and it was one that Zach was able to come to...

should have seen that as a sign.

My nurse/midwife has her clinic in the hospital where Zach works so he always tries to come, but usually can't get away from the clinic where he works.

To make a long intro short (well, shorter) the baby had a high heart rate when the midwife did the routine check....and it didn't go down.

They decided to send me to L&D(because they were not busy) to have it monitored and as we were leaving the midwife kept saying, it should go down and not to worry.

So we didn't.

But as soon as we got to L&D, things escalated...rapidly.

Seriously... as in, we wandered in, met our super-cute-and-sweet-nurse-that-we-pray-is-there-for-my-delivery (and she was calm), then out of nowhere 3 more nurses burst in (one being the classic "battle axe") and it all went wonky from there.

They looked panicked, did every sort of test, threw in an IV and had me and baby monitored for a few hours.

I remember looking at Zach and saying the line from Anchorman "well that escalated quickly".

He was calm as ever and I figured that I'd take my cue from him and do the same.

I kept saying to myself, if my medically inclined husband is not freaked, I wont be either.

The baby's heart rate was still high (normal is 120-160 and baby was rocking a 190 spiking to 200...awesome.)

Through all this, Zach was able to stay and what a blessing that was because I had Aubrey with me and poor thing would have been lost with out him there.

I have to say, she was awesome and didn't have the "what's happening to my mama" freaked out face at all. She was Chatty Cathy with all the staff and was the perfect child while there :)

In the end, the heart rate settled down again (after the IV was in for about 20 minutes) and it was determined that I was dehydrated.

I, Jennifer The Camel Klaassen, was dehydrated.

Anyone who knows me will laugh at this.

I drink MASS amounts of water everyday...

I'm addicted to water...

I get angry if I'm thirsty.

What the heck?!?

So needless to say, I'm upping my water intake... didn't know that would even be possible...

I'm just SO thankful that it didn't get any crazier.

The Lord was watching out for us and answered our prayers.... big time.

So, like I said, today was a 'take it easy' day, even though I'm feeling fine....

...and I'm slamming back the water :)

Tin Ceiling Tile Magnetic Board....

2012-01-29T12:03:00.000-05:00

I saw an amazing home the other day on the Home Made Lovely series on the Life Made Lovely blog.

I. want. this. woman's. home.

Yup, coveting.

If you haven't checked out this series, then I suggest you do because the homes that are shown look real, lived in and fabulous!

Nothing overly magazine-a-fied, just real peoples cute, crafty homes.

Love.

Anyway, back to my project...

I saw that she had a ceiling tin that she used to put pictures up on and suddenly remembered this little diddy I had kicking around and never really knew what to do with.

I just have had it placed in various spots in our last 2 places we've lived and always knew it was good for something (other than just looking fabulous!)...

I didn't ever think about it's magnetic capabilities... until I saw the one in the post.

And I'm so glad I did! I love it, it's simple and I can switch out the pics whenever I want.

Perfect for this fickle woman.

I would love to finish the edges with something (not quite sure what) but for the time being, I kinda like the rough looking edges.

I'm also wanting to make some magnets to match a bit better, I just threw on what I had laying around because I was just excited to try it!

Not bad for a $2 find at a garage sale a few years back :)

And for my next project....

aren't they hideous?!?

Yet I have a plan for these puppies (that I got for a $1 for the pair) and I just need to wait for the husband to have some time off work so he can help me with the painting part :)

I'm excited to see how/if it'll turn out...

One Proud Mama!!

2012-01-28T16:12:00.002-05:00

This precious little girl of mine prayed and asked Jesus into her heart this week!

Zach and I could not be more excited! We are absolutely bursting with pride and excitement and to quote Zach, "what more could a parent ask for?!?"

Amen to that :)

Love her and I'm so proud she's a part of God's family (not to mention mine!).

It's Been Too Long...

2012-01-25T15:35:00.001-05:00

...since I've done an Aubrey post.

This kid is going through one of the most funniest phases... seriously. I know I'm biased because I'm her mom, but she can honestly have me gut-laughing in seconds with her quick wit and amazingly funny personality!

Now having said that, she can also drive me bonkers!

Yeah, I said it.

With that amazing wit comes a larger than life, beyond her years, attitude and at times I have to stop myself, repeat in my head what she just said (that had me in stitches laughing!) and realize that .... wait, she's 3 and a half... they're not supposed to get away with saying that!

*insert my mother's voice in my head, reminding me I would have been in major trouble for saying something like that to them!*

And really, she's 3 and a half people....

The words she speaks per second alone is enough to make you want to cry at times!

But I love this kid SO much and I'll take the very few "bad" things with the bazillion "good" things!

How could you not??

I'm so excited to see her in her Big Sister role.

She's already talking about all the things she's going to teach the baby....

who by-the-way she's naming Baby Sister Aubrey, if it's a girl and....wait for it....

Hoho if it's a boy.

Told you she was awesome!

She is such a loving kid too, coming up to me randomly and professing her love for me and the baby, giving us each kisses! One on my belly for the baby and always two for me :)

Precious!

I'm so blessed to be her mother!

I only hope this next baby is half as cool as Aubrey ;)

One Year...

2012-01-23T17:52:00.001-05:00

Zach bbm'd me this morning telling me that the Urology Match happened this morning and about his hospital's matches....

It got me thinking.

It's been one year almost to the day that we found out that Zach had placed here in Augusta (we found out on the 24th of January last year) and not only did he place, but it was his top choice!

How amazing.

ONE YEAR.

One year ago to the day we had no clue where God would lead us. We were filled with anxiety and excitement and bursting at the seems to find out.

All day I kept thinking 'where has the time gone??', yet it feels like a lifetime since we found out. So much has happened since then it's kinda crazy.

We came down to Augusta to find a place to live, moved, got pregnant, experienced 7 months of residency, left a life we knew and loved in NJ, adjusted to a new life in the South, found a fabulous church, made friends.... the list goes on and on.

It's funny how a random text can get your mind going so much and seeing all the ways that God has worked in your life that you didn't even notice.

Lately my mind has been filled with all the ways we need to "settle" here still and all the "things" we still need. But in all reality, God has provided so much for us and in so many incredible ways, I'm glad I had this day to really remind me how far He's helped us come.

Crazy to think where we'll be at in life next Match Day....

Sweater Pillow

2012-01-22T21:54:00.003-05:00

Confession....

I've been coveting the pillows made from sweaters that I've seen all over Pinterest.

I mean, they just look so stinkin' cozy!

So the other day, when I actually had the car (yay!!) I stopped in at Goodwill to check out their selection of sweaters and I scored a fabulous, stain-free, like-new, cable knit for only $4.50.

At that price, it fit into my non-budget... budget ;) especially considering I had the wooden buttons in my stash at home already.

I'm just annoyed I didn't get a before shot of the sweater.

I got to cutting and whipped this little puppy up and I. am. in. love.

I have to say, when Zach saw the sweater and I told him what it was for?! He pretty much looked at me like I had grown a second head (and asked if I had washed it....seriously?!? Doesn't he know me at all??)... I merely laughed and told him to wait and see.

Oh he of little faith.

Now he keeps professing his love for the pillow every time he passes it.

I love being right.

It was so quick and easy to make (read 30 minutes from start to finish!), I'm definitely seeing another one in my near future :)

Not As I Planned....

2012-01-20T18:30:00.001-05:00

*Life has not gone as planned today.

*It was going to be super productive day, as in clean the house and do some sewing.

NOPE.

*I slept in, woke up with the back of a 90 year old and the rest of the day went wonky.

*Aubrey woke up, from falling asleep randomly on the couch, with a crazy fever and a fabulous mood to boot. Awesome.

*Oddly enough, I still got the house cleaned... multi-tasking at it's finest (and not my gift as of late).

*I haven't touched my sewing machine since before Christmas and I've been getting the itch.

*I joined a woman's bible study and I love it! Aubrey is loving the childcare/kids bible study that happens at the same time, win win!

*This is my 300th post! Crazy.

*I feel like I have a "life" now.

*I've made some friends, Aubrey's made some friends.... It's like we're a real, plugged-into, family. Who knew ;)

*I drove Zach to work twice this week.

*This equals a tired Jen and Aubrey.

*I hate 6 AM.... and those were "late" mornings for Zach. Ew.

*No real cramp/contractions/braxton hicks to speak of as late! SO thankful for that and thanks everyone for the prayers!

*Is it wrong that I have ZERO fear of adding a second child to the mix? Aren't I supposed to be a ball of anxiety about this?!

*I get anxiety over having to call the phone company(true story).... how does this make sense?!

*I'm so ready for this baby (have been for almost 2 years, was just waiting for Zach to be on board!) and I'm not all worried about the usual "will I have enough love for the next one" thing.

*Have I ever mentioned that I'm a baby person?!?

*I seriously could be Michelle Duggar if I had me a Jim Bob! But I don't, I have a Zach.... who doesn't have any inclination's towards a "Duggar" type family.

*Pretty sure that was the Lord's doing ;)

*I LOVE LOVE LOVE being pregnant and I think that's the only reason I'm not jumping out of my skin in anticipation for this next baby of ours.

*Only 7 weeks to go!

*Zach's on his way home right now... meaning Aubrey will actually get to see him... meaning there is much happiness in the face of my little girl!

*Yay for "early" work days.

*It's wrong that an "early" work day for Zach is still a 13 hour day.

*just sayin'

Thinking...

2012-01-15T10:56:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in my bed on a Sunday morning relaxing and sipping on a cup of coffee when I'd rather be in church with Aubrey and Zach. The part about the coffee and the relaxing is nice, but not the reason why I'm sitting here.
Yesterday I was hit with some serious cramping, braxton hicks, contractions (whatever you want to call them) and they lasted all afternoon, evening and well into the night. And even though I was not freaked out (not even in the least, which is strange for me because they hurt like crazy and I have a tendency towards the anxious), it got me thinking.
We live in Georgia.... my whole family is back in Canada, well except for my sister who is in England. Zach's whole family is in Canada. I have good friends who would be there in a pinch normally, but they have families and they are scattered all over... Connecticut, New Jersey.... Everyone works, have jobs that they can't leave at the drop of a hat... I have no one close here if something dramatic were to happen. As in premature labor, bed rest, etc.
Scary.
Zach's schedule is crazy (understatement of the year) and he can't just take a bunch of time off...
Super scary.
It just got me thinking and praying that nothing like that did happen, but we are not guaranteed a perfectly pleasant pregnancy, or life for that matter, are we?? Even though my first one was and this one has been so far, God doesn't say that everything is going to go "our way". And me having a "complication" would throw a serious wrench in things (as it would for anyone!).
So I'm sitting here now, trying to relax and be calm--praying for these contractions to stop, which they pretty much have, and that God gives me peace and health through the rest of this pregnancy...
8 more weeks until I'm due...
a lot can happen...
I pray it's all good!

Christmas Flashback...

2012-01-14T15:27:00.001-05:00

I figure I need to post some Christmas pictures for memories sake :)

I'm gonna go ahead and call these "got them for the memories" pictures because, well... quite frankly, they're not the best.

They capture the moment and that's what really counts right?!?

I was lazy and didn't fiddle with the settings properly, thus they are dark and not the best quality.

But these cute kiddos make up for it don't they?!?

Our friends from Canada came to spend Christmas with us and Aubrey was in her glory having kids around to play with every day!

How precious is she?!?!

Our Christmas Eve family shot.

(hello dark room, bright flash!)

Here Zach is trying to read the Christmas story from a children's bible for them... key word: trying!

The kids each opened one present on Christmas Eve...

We were planning on going to church this night, but we were all under the weather (except Zach, go figure) and decided to spare the church from hearing 6 people hacking in the back row.

Playing with their etch-a-sketch's

The deader-than-dead tree on Christmas morning :)

The kids all got these fabulous sleeping bags from James and Anna!

We got Aubrey her very first sewing machine!

The one present Aubrey actually asked for, a Dora Pillow Pet...

Thanks Grammie!

Zach getting in on the sleeping bag action

Opening stockings!

Apparently Zach needed some of Aubrey's new lip gloss....

We had a fabulous Christmas, it was super relaxed and we just let the kids play with each present after they opened it and let things go with the flow. We had fondue on Christmas Eve (just the adults, after the kiddos were put to bed....because it's no fun dealing with 3 kids under 4 and a bunch of boiling oil!) and we made a good ol' turkey dinner on Christmas Day (which turned out wonderful, if I do say so myself!).

Great memories with great friends!

Perfect :)

Doors, Windows, Shutters....

2012-01-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

pretty much a schmozzle of random pictures to wrap up my Charleston trip.

Not gonna lie there are more, but I figure I've drawn out this Charleston thing a little too long (insert nervous laughter).

But as I keep saying, there was so much to look at and we pretty much just wandered for the 2 days we were there, so that makes for a lot of pictures!

To sum up....

I love Charleston (duh)...

I love random windows, doors, balconies...

I love fun trips with my little family....

I LOVE that Zach stopped along the way to Charleston for me to take some pictures of a beat-up fire truck and a rusted out Ford...

I love history....

I love that I do not remotely have enough words in this frazzled brain of mine to fill up this post...

I lied, I don't love that....

blah blah blah....

*sigh*

Too many pictures....even for me....

Oooooo pretty wall!

Now I've just gone a little crazy...

yup, skipped one...

Ohp, skipped another ;)...

Last one! They're done.

Pretty, but done.

Now I can move on with my life.

And maybe post some of the Christmas pictures that I took and somehow lost in the shuffle of all this Charleston hubbub.

Anyone sick of hearing the word Charleston yet?!?

On The Second Day Of Charleston....

2012-01-11T17:19:00.002-05:00

My true love gave to me....

I wish! Could you imagine having any one of these places?!?

I mean COME ON!!

So much beautifulness everywhere it makes my heart hurt.

Yes, I know it's dramatic, but it's true.

Just another city to add to my long list of "I want to live there"....

And this view out your window??

This next place I call "The Kliewer's of Charleston"...

We had a rockin' awesome Oldsmobile station wagon when I was a kid... and well into my teen years... and I just thought to myself, "man, even if my parents had moved into this house, they'd have kept their beloved station wagon too". Seriously, had that thing not completely died on my parents (after something like 20 years), it would still be their vehicle of choice.

The ironwork everywhere was SO fabulous!

The house above reminds me of my sister's in England... LOVE it!

And this one with the climbing vines and brick on the side?! Where do I sign??

More Than Just Pictures....

2012-01-09T10:25:00.001-05:00

I know that these are random pictures, but they mean A LOT to me....

These pictures are a big step in my marriage...

I know, I know...dramatic

BUT they are the first ever pictures where I randomly saw something that I wanted to photograph, on the way to our destination, and Zach TURNED the car AROUND... annnnnnd backtracked to let me get the shot!

He's not really a fan of stopping along the way... he'll stop for us to go to the bathroom, but only if there is a stop less than 1 mile off the highway.

You read that right, there are stipulations.

If the Starbucks that I'm wanting to stop at ends up being farther than that, my man is not pleased.

It has to be said, he'll do it (probably because he's dying for a coffee too), but he won't be happy about it. (I hope he's not sounding like an ogre, he's just a typical male who wants to just GET to the destination.)

But stopping for a picture, never.... until our trip to Charleston!

And I'm thinking it won't be the last time, since he could see the shock and excitement in my face

And I maaaaay have talked about it repeatedly during our trip!

It's the little things people.

Love him :) ....

And my pictures!

Round Two...

2012-01-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

Sooooo, these are still shots from our first day....

See? Told you there were lots.

And let's just clarify that this is, indeed, me narrowing them down.

Okay, now that we got that clear...

My sister commented on my last post saying that Charleston reminded her of Grenada, and if it weren't for the fact that I completely agree with her, I'd be killing myself laughing at that comment!

But again, to clarify, in my mind I felt like Charleston is what Grenada could look like if they tried.

The problem in Grenada was that everything was still beat up and looking kinda war-torn, an no one cared.

It was hard to see that the country had SO much potential and they did nothing about it (this is my opinion and a generalization... and me being a bit jaded from living there for 2 years and experiencing the "real" Grenada).

But Charleston did have that feel, or maybe I should say a strong Caribbean feel.

It's funny that Astrid even made that comment, because I had said the same thing to Zach on the first day in Charleston, this COULD be Grenada.

Even the downtown market made me think of Grenada (again the Grenada version was totally beat up and full of flies, but you get the point).

Charleston was such a mish-mash of the Caribbean, Boston, England... all rolled into one.

And having traveled to each of those places, Zach and I felt like we were transported to each random place at various times.

It was coastal, city, old world... everything, such a perfect mix of them all.

And it all felt so perfectly preserved/restored.

There were so many times when I felt like I was in England and then BAM, palm tree. They were everywhere along the streets and I loved them!

And all these little random Inn's/B&B's were SO England too.

The gas lanterns everywhere were gorgeous! Almost every house had one.

Anyway, moving on (for now, more Charleston tomorrow....you sick of it yet?!? Oh well, get over it.)

Here it is folks, my awkward Charleston "hey Zach get a shot of my belly because I don't really have any" picture... annnnnnnd then instantly regretted the impromptu photo shoot because it was plain ol' awkward....

I'm getting the "ohhhh any day now" looks...

and I'm 30.5 weeks.

Yup, that's 30.5 weeks.... not 40.

I'm not lying when I say I'm big, I think I need to buy new pants... I can't see how my maternity pants from Aubrey are going to keep up to this ginormous belly. They're already at max capacity. Oy vey.

And just because it was cute...and super funny :) Aubrey wanted to take a picture by the same palm tree and was hollering at me "is daddy behind the tree?!?" right when I took this, but the kid didn't want to stop posing or smiling! What a little model. We didn't end up getting a shot of just her, just a bunch with Zach in the background and her talking through clenched, smiling teeth telling him to move (of course he wouldn't).

It. Was. Awesome.

Charleston--Part One Of A Bajillion....

2012-01-04T10:29:00.001-05:00

I'm gonna be honest, I have almost 300 pictures of Charleston and we weren't even there for 48 hours.

I have a sickness, a disease.... I can't be stopped.

How a person can have about 30 pictures of doors is beyond me.

But I am that person.

I can't believe how gorgeous doors can be... and windows... and random Zydeco-On-The-Go carts....

This city is FULL of fabulousness and I needed to get pictures of it all...

The brick with the palm trees and the gas lamps....

There was just SO much to look at.

I mean, COME ON!

Seriously?!? There was just street after street of eye-candy...

See?? Door handles... beautiful.

A rare shot of Aubrey and I!

On the most charming street....

And these wonderful trees I fell in love with...

So Mediterranean!

Love, love, love Charleston... It seriously blew my expectations out of the water and I can't wait to go back.

And believe me people, there are plenty more posts/pictures to come.

These didn't even scratch the surface....

Just Because I Love Him....

2012-01-03T21:02:00.000-05:00

How fabulous is this guy?!?

He's not even posing, seriously. It's just his GQ nature.

Love that my man can rock a stroller with confidence and do it in style in a lavender sweater.

I'm just proud to be his wife.

Just a few things....

2012-01-03T09:48:00.001-05:00

*first off, I AM alive ;)

*We had a great Christmas, Zach had 3 days off and then another 3 days off this last weekend

*Aubrey and I were in our glory with him home so much!

*Who knew having your partner home would be so handy for a marriage and for child rearing?!? ;)

*Zach made me cry this Christmas....

*in a good way

*That amazing man surprised me with Photoshop for our Mac! Seriously, burst into tears...pregnant much??

*Crazy nut also got our little family an over night trip to Charleston SC (partially for our anniversary too).

*I've been wanting to go for forever!

*on the 27th of December Zach and I were married for 8 years!

*8 years.

*years

*where does time go???

*We actually got to go on our first date since April.

*yes, you read that correctly, April.

*to say it was much needed would be an understatement.

*We had friends come and stay with us for Christmas and they have two kids, one girl Aubrey's age and a boy who's 2... Aubrey was SO excited to have extended sleepovers with them!

*my camera is bursting at the seems right now

*More pictures to come later today....

*and the next day

*annnnd the next day......

Merry Christmas To All!!

2011-12-25T21:41:00.000-05:00

Getting My Wrap On....

2011-12-23T14:54:00.001-05:00

Last night, amidst the whirr of the fans and much water drinking and sweating (I do live in Georgia now and it has NOT got the memo that it's December), I sat my pregnant butt on the the floor and got to wrapping gifts.

I had two funky balls of yarn, stamps and some packing paper that was left over from our move, and I got to work.

Now, I had a vision....

and a husband (who finally came home from work) who I wrangled into helping with the stamping...

but sadly, this husband of mine did not share said vision and many gifts ended up looking like he was involved in some sort of stamping dare to make them all random...

don't get me wrong, I love them, and the fact that he helped...

but I would suggest never letting a man loose with a set of stamps.

He might get a little too creative--behold....

dare you to read it and figure out what it says ;)

Now, last night I didn't think it was so funny (it was hot AND 11pm... and maybe I'm a little bit pregnant) but this morning I woke up and grinned from ear to ear at the beauty of his randomness. I know I'll cherish these pictures forever!

Sometimes it's better if we just let the reigns go....

Speaking of letting go...

Ahhhh the dead tree, what a beauty :)

So many lights, so much deadness.... such a fire hazard.

Love these wedding bells! We got them in England the year we got married and I love them! Coming up on 8 years of marriage this Tuesday... crazy!

I got this angel in Grenada, LOVE this one!

and these vintage ones, got them at an estate sale back in NJ... Oh NJ garage sales, how I miss you...

Last but not least, my lovely felt garland.

The tree may be dead, but I still love it :)

I'm Ron Bur-gundy??

2011-12-21T14:51:00.001-05:00

*the title has nothing to do with this post... it's just stuck in my head.

*apparently I took a little blog-cation....oops :)

*we had friends come in on Sunday (for Christmas) and I was in full on clean-the-house/finish-sewing-presents mode.

*I'm tired.

*our Christmas tree is totally dead already.

*this happens every. year.

*it may or may not have to do with the fact that we usually buy it around Zach's birthday... on the 24th of November....

*the fact that it's covered in approximately 700 mini-lights may also have something to do with it....

*I can't believe that just last year we spent Christmas Eve in NYC.

*It was everything we had dreamed it would be! (but somehow less crowded than we anticipated, weird)

*I miss it like crazy.

*this baby in my belly is constantly beating me up, seriously it won't. sit. still.

*my ribs hurt

*all the Christmas presents I sent made it to their destinations in time!!

*it feels really wrong to have 70 degree weather around the holidays

*I shouldn't be sweating like this in December. This preggo body needs some winter weather.

*this was what our place in NJ looked like last Christmas....I have yet to take pictures of our place here this Christmas. Before I do, I just have to vacuum the tree ;)

*Aubrey is sick today :( I just hope the poor thing feels better soon.

Just Call Me Jack Handy....

2011-12-15T10:02:00.001-05:00

*Am I the only one who can't follow anyone else's blogs? As in, I hit "follow" to an awesome blog and then a few days later wonder why they haven't updated said awesome blog, I go there look, and I'm not following it and my Dashboard has no signs that I am either?!?

*This is making my blood boil.

*silly things are stressing me out... aka blog following...

*I need a vacation

*The only time I get a lot of crafting/sewing done is when I'm in a time crunch...why is that?!?

*I seem to be a sew-well-past-midnight-the-night-before-I-have-to-send-something kinda gal.

*I feel like I'm currently sewing in a sweatshop.

*Zach didn't get home from work until 10:30pm last night.... he left for work at 5:30AM....

*yesterday was supposed to be one of his earlier-ish-esque days.... so much for that.

*He's expecting to come home late tonight...I'm scared for what that even means....

*I went grocery shopping last night at Walmart....sounds fine enough right? Well, we only have one car, so I went at 11PM....and let's just say that just because it's open 24hrs, doesn't mean one should go there during the random hours...it's scary...I prayed *A LOT* in the parking lot.

*I think it was national If You're A Hoodlum Come Hang Out In The Walmart Parking Lot @ 11PM night. And yes, I have the vocab of a 90 year old.... hoodlum just sums them up so perfectly. Perhaps I could say 'ne'er do wells', is that hip enough for you kids?? ;)

*I'm pretty sure that had Zach been "with it" he would have put a stop to me going there. Turns out that you're pretty tired after a 17 hour day...with no breaks and no food(true story people, he said he found a random brownie somewhere and shoved it in his face as he was walking by. Not exactly covering all the food groups, or calories needed in a day)

*I have a child that is in a state of regression. ie. peeing her pants... A LOT. What do I do?!?

*On the bright side it's not #2....

*I've never before felt the need for a second car... but I think I'm at that point. These walls are closing in...

*if you think of it, I'd appreciate some prayer on finding a car we can afford...as in, for $10.... It's possible right??

*I love that Zach is absolutely willing to drive a beat up whatever, if we find it for cheap enough, just to get him to and from work.

*He'll still be cool right? He'll just have to shield his eyes from the cars in the staff parking lot....I've been in there and lets just say that Mercedes, BMW, Lexus etc have made a killing of some of those doctors.

*We'll take a Datsun thankyouverymuch.

Take 2....{A Handmade Doll Carrier}

2011-12-14T17:34:00.000-05:00

So I've made a doll carrier before,

and it sure looked cute, but it never was easy for Aubrey to use and it was ridiculously floppy.

I knew that I had to try again, but to be honest... I just was NOT in the mood to try and come up with another pattern.

That was all the way back in April.... Then comes December and I'm trying to think of Christmas presents for some of the little girls we know.

After a few failed attempts at making something else, I knew I had to give the doll carrier another go.

And this time it worked!

I'm SO happy with how this one turned out.

The last one was way too flimsy and had snaps that were hard for Aubrey to use.

The doll always looked like it was going fall out at any second, and that was assuming Aubrey was even using the carrier...which was pretty much never. Awesome.

This one, I used a super stiff Wonder Under and it did the trick.

Look at that baby all securely fastened ;)

I made the straps way stiffer, used velcro instead of snaps and it's way easier to use.

It's just a sturdier carrier all around and that's what was lacking the last time.

My model was looking pretty classy in her we're-staying-home-clothes, but there was no way I was going to convince this grumpuss to change, let alone go outside and pose for pictures. So indoors, with fabulous clothes, it was... not to mention many promises of candy canes....

See, baby doesn't fall out! I win!

Of course now Aubrey wants one too...let's see if I get the energy to make her one....

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year....

2011-12-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

I can't even explain how much I love this girl! Seriously!

In the span of five seconds she can make me feel like pulling out my hair and like I could squish and cuddle her forever. The joys of motherhood :)

Last night Aubrey was in her first Christmas concert at our church and it was just the most precious thing ever! She was THAT kid; dancing up a storm (mainly the random moves that her and Zach made up while listening and practicing her songs at home... needless to say, these moves were "special"), over enunciating her words and over doing the actions to her songs....

I loved it!

It was just the 3-6 year olds... Zach and I got a glimpse of just how big our church really is!

The above picture is the exact moment she spotted Zach videoing her! Love the frantic waving by all the kids!

And this is the moment where Aubrey couldn't focus on singing because the kid next to her kept stepping on the bells from the "Come on Ring Those Bells" song. She was not please he was doing that!

So precious....pretty sure I was tearing up like crazy by this point!

And now, singing "Away In A Manger" ....

the Queen of Actions doing her thing....

Couldn't you just EAT this kid???

And for the record, she was NOT the kid who lifted her dress so the whole church could see their tights....

The girl beside her was that kid :)

It was such an amazing service and night in general. Zach and I kept saying that we couldn't believe we were parents of one of the kids IN the program! When did we get that old?!?

I'm going to remember this for as long as I live.

Pretty sure our hearts were bursting with love last night...and every moment with Aubrey for that matter.

A Little Of This And That....

2011-12-10T16:54:00.001-05:00

I am currently alone in my house... ALONE people! This does not happen....well, ever!

Zach came home from the hospital and announced he was taking Aubrey to the park, and who am I to stop them?!?

He's still on call until 6pm.... so let's all say a quick prayer he doesn't get a call while there with her! Pretty sure that would crush me... I mean, crush Aubrey ;)

Can we just stop for a second and take a little looksie at my blog header?!? Fabulous right?!

Seriously! I'm benefiting from Amy's dabbling with web design...or digital scrap booking....or blog design... What the heck is it called??

Who cares, it looks AMAZING and she did it for me for the total cost of $ my-love-and-admiration.

That's the best deal around ;)

Thanks Amy you rock and now so does my blog thanks to you!

The party yesterday went awesome! I met some great people and I love who Zach works with.

Seriously a great group of people and it was just SO nice to get dressed up and get out of the house.

Who knew there was a woman under all that daily pregnant frump??

That woman also almost walked into the party with the price tag still dangling from the back of her shirt... in what I can only assume to be divine intervention, I randomly reached back and felt it on the back of my neck as we were walking up the steps of the house we were about to go into.

Amazing.

Seriously, and I happened to take my coat off before we went into the house because I knew that I'd take it off as soon as we walked in anyway, and my pregnant body was having a heat stroke in the car already. ALL divine I tell you! There are SO many different ways that could have played out and all of them would have me looking lame to more people than just my husband, who I told right when it happened, doing that crazy I-almost-embarrassed-the-heck-out-of-us-both laugh.

Ah, good times.

Aubrey had the BEST time with her new friend! Both girls were in their glory, mainly because they were able to stay up super late! When we got back to Almost Friend's house, the girls were both in Audrey's bed (yup, you read right, the girl's name is AuDrey!) giggling like crazy and clutching the 2 dolls that AuBrey brought for them to play with. It just does my heart SO good to see Aubrey playing with friends. It doesn't hurt that Almost Friend's friend, who was watching them, went on and on about how good Aubrey was and how stinkin' polite she is with her "pardon me's", "please's" and "thank you's"! As a mom that's about the best thing someone could tell you about your child!

Tomorrow night Aubrey is in her first Church performance!

I am beyond excited to see her with all the other preschoolers singing their Christmas songs they've learned for just this occasion :) They got a CD with their 3 songs on it and Aubrey plays that sucker on a loop for as long as we'll let her and I'm happy to report she's not as tone-deaf as we originally thought!

You should see Zach and I watching her sing her songs and doing her actions, we're in tears here at home.... I'm planning on bringing my camera and a WAD of Kleenex tomorrow. It's gonna get messy people.

I think I might be obsessed with Christmas lights.... our tree has at least 700 on it, I might have lost count when I went back and added the extra 200 because it looked "dull" to me...

In my mind, less is NOT more when it comes to lights. More is more people, remember that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All these pictures were random finds in my iPhoto that I've some how missed in blogging. That's just not right and I had to set it straight pronto. The top picture Zach actually took while on Mackinac Island in Michigan. The others were in Boston (the first time we went) and randomly in New Jersey.

Ah, I love me some photo memory lane :)

And Now, Deep Thoughts....

2011-12-09T14:55:00.001-05:00

*I'm still relieved that there is only one baby in my belly.

*only now I'm really realizing how big this sucker is.

*It's raining and cold here! About time!

*I've painted my toenails a pale pink...sounds nice, right?

*I look down and see toes that belong on a 70 year old.

*The upside is that I can still see my toes...take that Ginormous Belly!

*Funny how plucking your eyebrows can change the whole look of your face

*I have heartburn ALL the time now... never had it before, only once when pregnant with Aubrey.

*heartburn sucks.

*I have Zach's Christmas work dinner tonight...hence the plucking and painting.

*I know exactly one person that will be at said dinner (aside from Zach).

*cue panic and anxiety.

*at least this one person is a super sweet girl and I will cling to her like a leech (She's one of my almost friends....pray I don't scare her off tonight...)

*I wish that I could still curl up in that cute ball like Aubrey does when she's sleeping. It looks SO comfy.

*Said ginormous belly is preventing such things.

*Aubrey is going to Almost Friend's house to play with her daughter while we all go to the work party tonight!

*Praise the Lord for working out child care so I can go!

*My sciatic nerve is acting up ALL the time.

*I walk like a 90 year old...

*At least my old lady toes match my walk.

*I had Restless Legs the other night. It's a for-reals thing, RLS--Restless Leg Syndrome.

*if you have never been cursed with this infliction, thank the Good Lord. It's AWFUL!

*As soon as I felt my legs take a turn for the feel-like-blood-is-rushing-into-them-SO-fast-that-they-are-going-to-burst-if-you-don't-constantly-move-them, I knew I had to text my sister-in-law Linda and make sure that it's what was happening. Poor woman has been having RLS since as long as I can remember and I now officially can feel for her! Seriously, you want to chop off your legs, it's THAT bad.

A Handmade Baby Gift....

2011-12-07T10:56:00.001-05:00

Some friends of ours, back in Canada, had a little baby girl recently and I was so excited to make her a little something.

Our friends, Amanda in particular, are really into NFL football. I wanted to do something to do with that, but without the whole blatant team name on it.... thus this onesie was born.....

I figured that should they have more kids in the future it was unisex and they'd be able to use it again... my thrifty Mennonite brain at work ;)

I used felt and minky (note to self, ironing minky takes away that pop-up-bubbly look--FAIL) for the football and this is pretty much when my love affair with hand stitching/embroidery began...

So I kept that hand stitched train going and remembered my love for shabby ruffles and this onesie was created-- I used a tutorial for a ruffle bum onesie I found somewhere....not sure where, it was a while ago... oops.

And I added a little heart for the front...

LOVE that ruffly bum!

I also made a little bib to match...

Loving the stitched birdie!

And then, because I have to pay homage to the South, a nice big headband... OK, it's not that big. To be honest, I'm not really into the offensively large Southern-satellite-dish-bow/flowers people put in their kid's hair... sorry. Can't help it.

I'm not going to be offended if you don't use it Amanda ;) I just saw a tutorial on See Kate Sew for the headband and had to make it. I thought it might be cute as a photo prop or something!

Moving right along....

It's just so fun to make stuff instead of buy it (confession, I did buy the white onesies) and I love how you can add personal touches and make everything matchy-matchy!

It was so fun to make this gift and I loved being able to use my new Anna Maria Horner, Innocent Crush fabric....

I'm seeing many handmade baby gifts in my future.

Linking up here....

I Just Want to Say....

2011-12-06T14:40:00.001-05:00

...that I'm feeling EXTREMELY thankful right now!

There was only one baby in there people!!!

Only one healthy, perfect baby in my ginormous belly.

A baby who is measuring exactly where it should for the due date it's been given, March 12th....aka 2 weeks after that because babies like to hibernate in my belly longer, just as 12-day-over-due-Aubrey ;)

I'm feeling beyond blessed at the moment! So far, two healthy children to be thankful for (Aubrey and baby) and no, we did not find out what we were having...

much to the amazement of everyone working at the clinic ;)

Apparently no one waits anymore to find out the gender, I was an anomaly to them.

I'm just sad that Zach was not there for the ultrasound...

Of course today was the day he was the only one in clinic, was swamped beyond belief and couldn't leave. Boo.

We did go down to the floor Zach works on so I could show Aubrey where Daddy worked and she was SO proud!

"Dis is where my Daddy works, Mamum. He's in Uro-ogeeee. He makes all the sick people feel better!"

Love her!

But, all is well and I have one happy little Aubrey who got to see the baby on the screen and can't stop talking about her baby and how it's in my tummy :)

SO cute!

I leave you with the most beautifully, freaky picture.....

My little baby #2 with perfect lips and nose (left side of the pic) and who has it's hands snuggled against it's face....

And who oddly enough, totally reminds me of my nephew Levi in this shot... now that's really freaky!

A Little Clarification....

2011-12-02T10:07:00.001-05:00

*For some reason I thought that I said it on my blog, but I guess I forgot and due to the amazing amount of people who were commenting, texting, emailing about my ultrasound I figured I'd say on here that I, in fact, did NOT have the ultrasound the other day. It was cancelled....grrrrrr

*You know what's worse than waiting for an ultrasound when you think you have twins in your stomach?! Having it cancelled and rescheduled. Seriously, I about tore my hair out!

*Now I have to wait until this coming Tuesday to find out..... cue inner panic and gnawing of nails.

*Since it is completely safe to say that my mom doesn't read this blog (They have a computer, but it is approximately 13 years old and hasn't worked in about 8. Not to mention the fact that they don't normally have Internet....) I can show this table runner that I made for my mom. I officially love how it turned out and it's so my mom it's not even funny.

*The thing that sucks about Christmas time...did I even just say that?!?... scratch that-- sucks about making gifts? Not being able to share them on here! Booooo I've been crafting/sewing away and none of it can be shared until after Christmas and let's face it, I'll have forgotten by then :(

*Zach and I got some early Christmas money and I bought myself (I guess they're for my family and anyone else that visits too....wow, I'm a giving person.) these dishes from Target!

*I'm in love with this turquoise color....and these dishes....and the fact that this set you are looking at above is all for $24.99!!!

*I bought 2 sets because I'm planning on letting other people eat with us sometimes.

*Again, I'm a giving person....but I guess that's all assuming I make some friends here ;)

*The dishes we have are all chipped Ikea plain white blah ones. Nothing like 3 years of hand washing cheap quality dishes in a sink that was SO teeny to make them look ugly in a hurry.

*I have another almost friend!

*A wife of one of the guys in Zach's Urology program contacted me and wants to get together! She has kids around Aubrey's age so it will be great!

*Yay for play dates with people I have never met... cue more inner panic and anxiety.

~~~~~

Soosy Update....

Aubrey is doing fabulously without it! Yesterday was a bit rough with a few moments of crying and asking to go and buy a new one, but she went down perfectly fine without it last night!

Oh and Marlene....Aubrey got a Dora book that had figurines and a huge play map inside.....figured that I (errr, the Soos Fairy) would make it worth her while to get rid of something she loved so dear ;)

A Long Time Coming.....

2011-11-30T23:32:00.001-05:00

So....I'm THAT mom.

Yup, the mom who didn't have the heart to take away my daughters pacifier...aka soosy... at the appropriate age.... Aubrey's 3 and a half now.

I know, I know bad right? BUT we have had some serious life upheaval in the last year. What with the move to Georgia a few months back, all of Zach's travel before that (interviewing for residency positions), then the whole trip to Canada... there was always a reason for me to let her have her soos (for night time really, but the little sneak would hide with it if she found it before bedtime and happily suck away!).

I thought I'd get rid of it about a month after we moved here, that was the plan anyway... but then Aubrey self-imposed potty training, and being the softy that I am, I couldn't take it away when she was trying to figure that all out (are you sensing an "excuse" pattern?!?).

All that to say, tonight was THE night! I knew I had to get rid of it long before the new baby comes so Aubrey wouldn't regress or go and steal the baby's soos (does that even happen?! I'm not taking any chances....).

I had been prepping Aubrey for the last two weeks, giving her a count down to when the "Soos Fairy" would show up to take it away--if she left it in a basket outside her bedroom door-- and leave a present instead (I got the present idea from Amy, thanks Amy!).

She was getting really excited for it even though she would randomly tell my how much she'd miss her soos, and didn't like the Soos Fairy.... too cute :)

Tonight she announced, before bed, that she didn't want her soos because she thought that the fairy would come tonight (I told her she was coming tomorrow).

So I went with it, got the basket for her and she plopped her soos in.

Aubrey was all tucked in, bedtime prayers were said and about 20 minutes later I hear her softly calling my name.... and weeping.....

*insert my mushy heart and I'm all ready to go in with the soos*

So I went in (prayed hard to be strong) and told her I'd sit with her until she fell asleep.

I nearly caved when I saw her big fat tears on her cheeks and she told me, "it's SO hard Mama, I miss my soosy."

But about 10 minutes later she was fast asleep and I was/am feeling victorious!

How sad is that?!? And over a soos....

But I am.

I'm having a hard time thinking my baby is growing up and I know that in a few short months, when baby #2 comes, she'll look even bigger.... scary.

For now I will relish in this small, yet major, victory.

...And try not to forget to put her new Dora book in said basket!

Oh and remember the other day when I was talking about being freaked out of having twins?!?

That same night I find THIS in my pack of mushrooms.....

Are you kidding me?!? Twin mushrooms???

Oh man....

~~~Excuse the pictures...they're from my phone and the one of Aubrey sleeping is awful quality, but I didn't want to wake her, lest she wanted her soos again!~~~

Scenes From My Phone---Take Two

2011-11-29T09:23:00.001-05:00

About a week ago I made all these flowers with the best intentions.....

But every now and again, we have ourselves a craft fail.

And this my friends, is an EPIC craft fail....

I honestly just turned around the shade after I made it and walked away in shame. As it is now, I've removed the flowers and am waiting for inspiration to do something different with said shade (that currently looks like it has leprosy).

I miiiiight be addicted to all things felt.

And speaking of felt, I won a giveaway on Racing Towards Joy from Blossom & Vine and I LOVE what I chose....

Here is my 25 week belly...yes 25 weeks. In my defence I'm measuring 3 weeks bigger. Not sure how that works in my defence, but I'm going with it.

I'm honestly thinking twins...no joke. I truly have this feeling and I'm kinda freaked to find out.... we have our first ultrasound this Thursday...pray for me...

Twins....I'm scared.

Speaking of felt.....

We got our tree on Saturday and Aubrey and I have already decorated it, but it felt like something was missing.... other than ornaments on the top 2/3 of the tree---Aubrey's mighty short and loves to clump that decor.

Moving on....

*Insert my love for felt*

Now I'm knee deep in garland making.

125 one-inch circles later.....

and I'm still not done, but tonight I will concur this Everest.

I'm loving how it looks so far though :)

Move Over Thanksgiving It's Time For Christmas!!

2011-11-27T20:32:00.001-05:00

For the last few weeks I've been wanting to make a Christmas banner/bunting of some sort.

I didn't want to do the typical Merry Christmas and I wanted it to be colorful.

After the debacle of Aubrey announcing that the baby in the manger in our nativity scene was baby Moses (mom fail!) I figured I had some work to do ;)

Thus the "Happy Birthday Jesus" bunting was created!

I just love how it turned out and it was so easy to make.

I didn't sew a thing... just me, some felt fabric and my trusty glue gun gettin' er done.

I even hand drew the letters (I'm definitely NOT known for my neat printing OR my drawing ability) and the fact that they turned out half decent is a miracle in and of itself!

The lighting in our living room is seriously lacking, so forgive the crummy pictures.

I'm totally loving the fact that I can use it for any birthday! Gotta love when things can be multi purpose... makes the Mennonite in me proud :)

Some Ramblings And A Bit Of Craftiness....

2011-11-22T11:49:00.001-05:00

*I know Thanksgiving is this Thursday, but I've gone ahead and pulled out all the Christmas decor.

*I've never been known as patient person.

*Zach works on Thanksgiving....which also happens to be his birthday, fun.

*I hate this month of night shifts.

*I love decorating for Christmas, so for now, I'm letting the night shift thing go.

*I love the look in Aubrey's eyes when I'm pulling out all the Christmas stuff! Nothing like that glimmer in a 3 year old's eyes to get you into the spirit!

*I have some work to do, when I pointed to the baby in the manger from our nativity scene Aubrey yelled out, "It's baby Moses!"

*I think I've failed.

*I have one month to make things right.....

*I. Can't. Stop. Crafting.

*This would be good if I was actually working through my list of gifts I'm making, but no. It's all for me....Merry Christmas to me?? Yup.

*I think my need to get up all this festive decor is due to the fact that it is freaking 80F outside these days!

*I'm dreaming (key word dreaming) of a white Christmas..... a girl can dream.

*I'm wondering what the odds are of a freak snow storm to hit the South again like it did last year?

*like I said, a girl can dream.

*here's my craftiness of late, I think I have an addiction to all things mini (this wreath is only 7inches)....

Ummm So I Might Be Addicted....

2011-11-22T11:29:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I'm really into the hoop art.

I can't seem to get enough!

I just love that I can sit in the couch and be lazy AND craft at the same time!

Perfect combo for me because this baby in my belly is starting to really beat me up and my lower back is gonzo by around 5pm in a day. Can barely move, fun :)

I would like to reiterate that I still LOVE being pregnant! Seriously, bring on the back pain because it's all part of the miracle...cheesy you say? Well, get over it ;)

I've been loving all things 'birdcage' all over the blog-world.

It's my first embroidery project and I'm pleased to say that I did this without a pattern... yes, I know it's basically a bunch of straight lines... pretend it's a big deal okay?! Thanks.

I remember my cousin had sent me this link, so I dug it up and went from there (thanks Marlene!)....

It took me forever to decide on the ribbon, fabric, colors, etc. I can't make a decision for the life of me.

You'd think this was a life altering choice I had to make, I think we chose our car faster than I chose the materials for this thing.

But, it was worth it! I LOVE how it turned out!

This Might Get A Little Heavy....

2011-11-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

When I told Zach that I was in the midst of writing this post he looked at me and said, "um ok...I'm scared." Funny guy, no need to be scared :)

If you want to commit to reading this(I know you are hemming and hawing Marcy...it's a lot of words) I suggest you get a cup of coffee and bare with me ;)

Moving right along.....

So Zach's a doctor. Yup, a doctor. As in, girls always "dream" about marrying a doctor.

The movies always make it seem so desirable, that having "all that money" is all it takes to be happy with your man. They never get into the nitty-gritty.

Being a doctor's wife is not the fairytale everyone thinks it is....

not to be confused with my marriage to Zach not being a fairytale...that is! The two are kinda separate... (ok, now I'm getting confused...I'm just going to keep writing and hope you stay with me on this!)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, bitter or scary, but I wanna inject a little reality into peoples perception of the whole thing.

Here's a little "Keepin' It Real" timeline for y'all...

First--four years of undergrad(usually there's some nice debt that comes with this)

Second--the MCAT...a big standardized test to see if you even qualify for Med School.

Third--the whole business of applying to Med School.

This in and of itself is a stupidly hard process...coming from Canada, it was even harder(there is only one Med School in our Province and out-of-province schools are even harder to get into)

Fourth--comes med school (assuming you get in....factor in some possible rejections and waiting another year to apply again, it's what Zach went through)...it's a crazy time filled with classes, cadavers, sleepless nights, and long hours in the hospital(in the 3rd and 4th years) and ALL that is accompanied by some nice accumulating debt....oh and a butt-load of tests!

Zach attended an out of country Med School in the Caribbean, so that added a nice flare of you-have-to-leave-your-family-and-go-somewhere-in-which-you-know-no-one-and-it's-going-to-be-super-hard-and-expensive-to-travel-home-and-see-family-and-friends to the already crazy pressures.

He(I was there with him) did the first 2 years in Grenada and the second 2 in the USA.

Living in Grenada, was (If I'm being honest) one of the hardest things I've ever done...we've ever done. If you go back to the early days of this blog, you can read all about our crazy adventures there.

I truly believe it made us who we are and it was an essential part of gearing up for what was to come.

I DID meet amazing life-long friends and some of the first(and only) people who "get it"--as in the whole situation surrounding the married-to-a-doctor life, plus the lived-in-a-foreign-country AND the knew-them-"before"-it-all thing.

Fifth--The USMLE....I'm sure I missed two of these tests in the debacle above because Zach was onto writing his third by this point, ooops. The first two USMLE's (United States Medical Licensing Exams) are 8 hours each....that's 8 straight hours of standardized test taking people. And the third one?? Well, that one was a whopping 16 hour test split into two consecutive days!

Stress much??

It has to be said (and I must brag on my husband a bit) he NAILED these tests. I mean KILLED them, as in he wowed people during the whole residency interview process with his fabulous scores! Made the whole months and months(and months and months....) of studying worth while!

And with Zach being a foreign grad, these test scores are an even bigger deal.

He's a fish going against the current while trying to get a residency position (k, I made that sound really dramatic...but it kinda is.)

Sixth-- The whole applying for a residency position. This was intermingled with step 6. So every place you actually get an interview at, you have to travel to. As in, fly, drive, etc.

This part sucks the mulah right out of you. We drove to all the places with in a 8 hour radius, and Zach flew alone to the others. So there is the whole hotel fee, car rental if said hotel did not have a shuttle to the hospital and food, etc while gone.

FUN.

Thank the Lord, Zach didn't have to fly to too many places.

You apply to these positions in September and the whole interview process can span into February. Then there's the "Match"....I'm not even going to try and explain, give the details to the process of how they end up placing you in your Residency position...because quite frankly, I'm still a bit lost by the whole process!

The "Match" happens in January for Urology, and all other Medicine/Surgery/etc have the "Match" in March.

You basically get an email at 9am on the day of and it tells you where to go....and then you cry A LOT and thank the Lord that you matched and have a placement...and a job for the next 5 plus years.

Zach matched in Urology (his DREAM job!!) and he didn't have the agonizing wait until March.

Seventh--there's residency(which is what Zach's in now)....when said debt cripples you and you have to live on minimal amounts of money and time with said doctor.

The lack of money is one thing, at times it sucks, but we're so used to it now that it's not that big a deal most of the time.

It's the TIME people, the lack of time with a loved one because they work 90+ hours A WEEK and the rest is spent sleeping or reading papers/research/etc to keep up with their particular specialty(in Zach's case, Urology). It gets old, really old...and we're not even 6 months into residency. Awesome.

And don't get me started on a month straight of night shifts....

It's a long road before any real money is made and you feel as though you are swimming in a sea of debt.

Basically, it's a lot of long hours, missing big "moments" in life, an always exhausted husband, crazy debt....the list goes on. Essentially, this makes me kind of a single parent for a good portion of the time.

All that being said(did I sound like a Debbie Downer or what?!?) it's Zach's passion and he LOVES it!

I can't even begin to say that his excitement for his job everyday (even through all the grogginess) is infectious! God has SO placed him in the right spot and placed me to take this journey right along side him....we started dating his first year of undergrad, I was still in the 12th grade...scandalous ;)

We know this is where he is...WE are... supposed to be, but that doesn't stop it from being hard... A LOT of the time.

I look back on all he's gone through, we've gone through, and I'm so grateful because like I said before, it's ALL shaped us into the people we are today.

We trust God so much more than ever before, it's what happens when your life takes a "Where Are We Off To Next" turn every few years. God's just keeping us on our toes ;)

Zach's job comes with crazy responsibilities, dealing with death often and here in the States, there's the lovely possibility of being sued, good times.

You have to understand, I grew up in a smallish town in Western Canada (both Zach and I did, he lived in the town next to mine) and I never in my WILDEST dreams ever thought that I'd live anywhere else....ever. I thought I'd marry a farmer (seriously) and live out my days in Abbotsford.

To think that one day I'd be married to a man who was a doctor and living in Georgia, let alone New Jersey and Grenada before that??? Unfathomable.

God knows so much better than we do what we need.

The life experience we've gained from living in these places, the friends we've made...I can't imagine that not having happened!

We had a chip on our shoulders when Zach didn't get into Med School in Canada, I'm not going to lie. He had all the right stuff and for some reason didn't get in...

But now we GET it, this way was SO much better, harder, but better!

God knew the reason and boy was he right.

Just A Little Mini Project....

2011-11-20T16:24:00.001-05:00

I wanted a new wreath for my front door, but didn't want anything crazy busy.

So I decided to go with a simple moss one.

Plus, it's a nice transitional one before my soon-to-be-put-on-the-door Christmas wreath!

I used my handy dandy coupons at Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's to get the bag of moss and wreath so this little puppy only cost me a total of $5... makes the Menno in me happy :)

I still feel like something is missing.... but anything else I add feels gaudy.

So plain moss it is.

Love when a project comes together in under an hour and is nice and cheap!

Hoop Art and Some Snail Mail...

2011-11-19T14:25:00.001-05:00

I've been slowly working on decorating our master bedroom... and by slowly, I really mean slowly.

I'm making/finding things as I go, as time and budget allow....thus why it's going so slow ;)

I had some embroidery hoops laying around and thought I'd make some hoop art.

I forgot how much I love doing this! Seriously, the options are endless and it's something I can do while vegged-out in front of the TV at night, perfect for this aching-back-at-the-end-of-the-day-preggo-gal :)

I wanted to do something with felt, but didn't know what.

I keep seeing gorgeous felt flowers everywhere, but they looked kinda complicated...

but after a little browsing on Pinterest and a couple of random links, I was lead to this Martha Stewart tutorial and I knew that some felt flowers were in my future.

Is it me or do all roads lead to Martha?!?

I guess there's a reason, because look how cute these flowers turned out?!

This one's my favorite!

It's a two and a half inch hoop(or 3, not quite sure), it turned out so tiny and cute.

Did some stamping and some stitching and...voila!

I can't wait to put them up in my room. The colors go so well with my Anthropologie bedding and I'm pumped to see how it all (eventually) comes together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And this ......

came in the mail today!! I love getting snail mail and this package proves why.

Amy sent me a "just because" package with this handmade bib her friend made and I was so excited when I opened it up!

Look at all the detailing....

I seriously am ALL about all the little tags/pins/etc that usually come on a handmade gift!

And this one had no lack of them :)

Zach says I'm a Marketing Team's dream....and as usual, he's right.

I mean, "Give Peas a Chance"?!? SO precious! Can't wait to use it for the baby!

I Heart Costco... And Pictures That Don't Match....

2011-11-18T17:54:00.001-05:00

I went to Costco today.

This is a big deal....well, to me anyway.

I love Costco, like LOVE it!

They print the best, cheapest pictures EVER.

I mean, where else can you get a print for 13 cents and have it be excellent quality? I dare you to find a place...yup, dare you.

Now, I know that there are Costco's everywhere, but there wasn't one here in Augusta and let me tell you, I was NOT pleased about it. When I voiced my concern about this, Zach gave me the funniest look followed by an, "are you serious right now? This is a sticking point for you for living there?!"

Ummm, yes it is, actually. And most other people would agree, thankyouverymuch.

Obviously, he convinced me to move here anyway...he had some good points... HE would be here, Aubrey... you get the idea.

But all this to say,

Costco is HERE now!!!

And I restrained myself from going the first 2 days, but couldn't hold out any longer.

And a new Costco means new carts, shiny everything and super helpful, eager to keep their new found jobs, staff :)

I was in Heaven!

(Bare in mind that I did live in New Jersey for 3 years and therefore was used to a pretty scuzzy store, so pretty much anything would have been better than that)

Mix in a Churro and a hot dog, I was one happy pregnant lady.

Even Aubrey was in particularly good spirits there.

I realize this whole post is about Costco and I know that's probably crazy, but I don't care!

It's the small things that make my day and this sure did.

And see? I was nice. If you were bored (although I don't know how you possibly could be) with my Costco-loving-ramblings, you had pretty pictures to look at instead ;)

****I've been getting my craft on these last few nights and I'll be posting some pictures from all that goodness in the next few days (So Tom, don't bother reading this blog for the next week ;) )****

Under The Weather....

2011-11-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

This little girl got a bad case of something last night... meaning I was the lucky one to be up from 4am onward to deal with the "aftermath" (I figured I'd use a classy word like aftermath instead of something gross like, well, puke. That's because I am a classy gal.).

I'm so tired. I think my hair is tired.

Yup, that's tired.

The benefit of Zach working night shift is that he brought me a great-big (red-cupped!!) coffee from Starbucks on his way home... did you know coffee tastes even better in their red Christmas cups?? Well, it does. Or maybe it was the fact that I had been up for 4 hours by that point and dirt probably would have tasted good out of that fabulous red cup.

Did I mention I was tired?

Well I am.

Aubrey's currently sleeping off her lack-of-a-night (come to think of it, so is Zach) so the house is blessedly quiet. I should be sleeping, but I have a feeling Round 2 (or 62 to be honest) is going to happen when Sleeping Beauty awakes.

And lets face it, the contents of that red cup are in no way going to let me sleep anymore.

Having a sick girl sucks... for SO many reasons. Poor thing kept asking why, "sis cough sing won't go away?!?" all night, and proclaiming things like, "I DON'T like frowing up.".

Bless her.

One of the cutest things she said randomly (pretty sure it was around 5:30am... but forgive me if I'm off a bit, my night is a bit hazy....), "Mama, I know who can heal me..." insert me waiting for the classic answer (Jesus) and she pipes in with "MY daddy. He's a real doctor you know."

Hahaha! Love her!

I wasn't in the mood to correct her (plus the random daddy love was so cute), so I just let it be.

No need for a theological discussion at that time of night ;)

Now I'm going to go and watch the You Tube video I posted on here the other day because, quite frankly, I need a laugh right about now. And then I'm off to sew away my frustrations.

Sometimes, it just plain ol' hard to be a mom.

Just What I Needed....

2011-11-14T11:33:00.001-05:00

My oldest brother Ed sent me this today.

And let me tell you, it's exactly what I needed on this Monday morning.

Seeing as to how our family all grew up speaking German(and our parents still have a pretty thick accent), I'd say it's quite appropriate ;)

But Ed and I...and Astrid...and Will....and Arv....pretty much everyone in my family... has a special love for the accent and when he sent me this titled, "Is this about you??" I just about died laughing!

I'm not sure what this guy is/was on, but someone was smart to film it. Bravo!

Thanks Ed.

Enjoy...

Still Looking Back....

2011-11-11T14:40:00.001-05:00

I grew up in an area of Canada called the Fraser Valley. It's so amazingly beautiful, it hurts my heart.....that is, when it's not raining ;)

I know I took it for granted growing up here....

raspberry fields are everywhere (and are where I spent a good portion of my summers) ....

as are barns and farms...

chicken farms are abounding....

and don't even get me started on the mountains!

they're ALL around...hence it being a "valley"....yup, I'm smart.

and that, my friends, is Mt. Baker.

It's technically in the US, but us Canadians have the pleasure of seeing it from all over the Fraser Valley.

I'm not going to lie, I got choked up every time I saw it on my last trip back.

and if the weather permits, there are some amazing places you can go to check out the amazing views!

Seriously, God is so amazing!

How someone can stand in the midst of all this beauty and not believe?!?

I don't get it!

I have no clue who these women are...

but they were so stinking cute.

I can't get enough of the Oma's!

It makes it hard to come back to a very flat, mountain-less Georgia...

although the constant sunshine is a welcome change!

A Brick Wall and Some Spontaneity...

2011-11-09T11:11:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, back in Greenville, SC, I saw this random brick wall and I immediately grabbed my camera (and Aubrey) and wandered over.

I love me a good ol' broken down brink wall (seems most people into photography do).

Lucky for me, Zach was retrieving our car from one parking spot to switch to one close to this wall and Aubrey and I were waiting for him, giving me ample time with my little model!

Now, photographing people is not really my thing. I usually like to work with things that don't move.... ie. NOT a 3 year old kid who thinks it's hilarious to make every funny face in the world while running around like a maniac.

But, I had a blast this day!

Aubrey was being so funny and cute I couldn't get enough....

...as you can tell by the volume of pictures that are present in this post.

Just another example of my inability to narrow down pictures.

I'm loving that she's going through her I'm-about-to-hit-a-growth-spurt-so-I'm-getting-a-little-pudgy-in-the-cheek-region-in-preparation-for-it phase!

Makes me think of the days of old when she practically weighed the same as she does now....at 11 months!

Look at her!

Stupid sun was in the total wrong position, making her squint like crazy, but I don't care.

When you have a chance for a little photo shoot in front of a brick wall while your husband gets the car, you take it!

um...not sure about this pose....there are always a few of these head scratching poses with this kid.

Don't you just want to eat her in her skinny jeans?!?

Ah, love a spontaneous brick wall photo shoot :)

Aw Shucks...

2011-11-08T09:59:00.002-05:00

My little ol' Tree Art thingy...

was featured over at....

Go check it out HERE !!!!
I'm so pumped!
Ahhhhh!
Yay for being featured :)

Little Nuggets You Might Not Know....

2011-11-07T20:00:00.001-05:00

*I'm SUPER shy around new people...like I could vomit shy....like I have a panic attack before I know I'm going to meet someone new. Yup, awesome.

*I get anxious about a lot of things.

-dentist(paralyzing fear)

-flying(I cry during take off....landing...turbulence... you get the picture)

-confrontation

-sometimes even just leaving the house.

Let me tell you, it's not fun.

*I love love love McDonald's... As in, I still get a giddy feeling when I see those golden arches.

*I'm addicted to coffee....and water. I figure it's a good balance.

*I've always loved photography, but since my wonderful Pentax has come on the scene(one amazing Christmas in '08), I've been hooked!

*One of the other best things I've ever got/bought was my sewing machine. Zach just said, "buy it!" one day, no particular reason/occasion and I did...and haven't looked back! Love that guy.

*My life long dream was to be a mom. No career desires, no big plans...I just wanted to get married to a wonderful guy and have babies....

Check and check!

*I LOVE being pregnant. Even with all the crummy days in the beginning, being tired and nauseous...don't care. I could happily incubate babies for the rest of my life.

*Zach and I are officially "East Coast" people. I love how "harsh" and "to-the-point" the people are and generally just love the pace. Plus it helps that there are so many things within driving distance of where we lived (in New Jersey).

*I miss New Jersey like crazy. Even though I know this(Georgia) is where we need to be for now, I long to live back there one day.

*I never thought of myself as an "ocean person"....until I met the Atlantic. I have fallen in LOVE with the Atlantic ocean!

*Zach and I have a wonderful dream to own a house on the Atlantic one day :)

*I hate bad hygiene. As in, I'm obsessed with good hygiene. This ties in with my crazy sense of smell. Zach calls me a bloodhound, but let me tell you NOTHING is worse then a smelly person....well, smelly anything really.

*Ever since my wonderful sister told me I have a "swimmer's back" when I was 13, I have not worn anything racer back or anything to that effect. Funny how one comment (that she claims she was just saying to bug me...she is 4 years older than me and I may or may not have been an annoying little sister) can effect you for life, even if it was just to piss you off!

*I'm from Canada(and proud of it!), but I love living in the great U S of A! Seriously, I'm happy to stay here as long as I live.... well, as long as we have valid visas ;)

*My heart is in England. This might be confusing(seeing as to how I love the great U S of A), but my sister and her family live there and let me tell you, if I could live there??? I'd move in a heart beat.

I heart everything about England...and my sister....and her family.

*Aubrey between the ages of 18 months and 3 years, was the hardest for me. Having a child who thought she knew it all and was SO hard headed, but still learning and not quite understanding the "why" was my greatest challenge. And mix in my most hated thing, potty training?!? Seriously, I love my kid, but that age is just rough. Just being honest.

I know there are more wonderfully trying times to come(insert shudder for the teen aged years), but let's just say I'm glad that season of life is over....until the next one comes along.

*This is my wonderful husband(cheesy you say, yes. But SO true). He makes me laugh more than anyone else I know (sorry Astrid) and he's just my perfect fit. I met him when I was in the 12th grade and we've been together ever since!

*I got married at 20 (insert gasp) 8 years and ZERO regrets! When you know, you know. And let me tell you, we knew.

*I've lived in 2 cities in Canada(west coast), in the country of Grenada(in the Caribbean), in New Jersey, and now in Georgia....and that's all in the last 8 years. That's quite the list folks.

*For as anxious a person I am, I love that we've moved around and seen a bunch of different places, and that is all thanks to Zach and his dream of being a doctor...yes, a doctor(and that's another post for another day).

"And On That Drive We Saw A...."

2011-11-06T17:20:00.000-05:00

In my last post I talked about our drive through Georgia and South Carolina and that particular drive ended up leading us to Greenville, SC.

It's about two hours from our place and it was recommended to us by one of Zach's co-workers.

Zach's dad was in town for a few days and we wanted to show him some surrounding areas.

We were originally going to head out to Asheville NC, but when we got here, well, we decided to hang out here instead...I'm assuming you can understand why....

To be honest, I forget the name of the historic park we went to, but it was right smack-dab in the middle of town and it was FABULOUS!

We had driven in search of Fall (also known as head-t'wards-the-North Carolina-mountains) and we found smidgens of it here...

It seriously was one of the cutest towns/parks I've been to...and that's saying something. I've been to a lot of amazing places in this here the U S of A.

And Aubrey, well, she was Aubrey...

She had a blast climbing on random stone walls, riding her new bike (from Grandpa) and exploring!

We even got a decent family shot! Yay!

I actually felt like I was in England, to be honest.... the trees, the scenery, the broken down Textile Mill and it's random remaining walls....heavenly!

I highly recommend Greenville....seriously....GO.

It was such a fabulous Fall day (although from most of these pictures you'd think it was summer) and we had a great time just wandering around.

I have a thing for random old signs on the sides of buildings...

And this one was awesome....as was our day :)

Enjoying The Ride

2011-11-04T20:36:00.000-04:00

I love taking random shots out of my car window when we're off on a drive to a new place.

And let me tell ya, Georgia and South Carolina have some sweet scenery...

So much random awesomeness happening all over....

But the broken-down barns and houses have to be my favorite....

If I was on this trip with Amy and not Zach, I'm pretty sure we would have stopped the car about a bajillion times and never actually arrived at our destination.

But alas, I was with Zach and there was no stopping of the car...

except for Aubrey to have a random roadside pee break.

And then we saw this place....

"one of these things just doesn't belong"....

And this sign had me laughing pretty hard!

I guess I am now living in the South....

And just when you don't think it could get any more Southern....

I'm proven wrong.

Scenes From My Phone....

2011-11-03T14:13:00.000-04:00

Since Zach is working nights this month, Aubrey and I are "with car" right now. Yay!...buuuut there is a downfall: Aubrey thinks we need to be out ALL day, EVERY day. Not my idea of a fun time.

When I tell her it's time to go back home from a morning out and about, she looks at me as though I told her she needs to cut off all her limbs.

She's about that excited to go home.

Awesome.

Anyway, the other day we were at the dollar store and I thought to myself, "myself, buy this kid some cheap crafting supplies to lure her back home....". Myself is a very smart person.

It worked like a charm, but next time I'm not buying the googly eyes. No thanks.

Not gonna lie, they freak me out a bit.

I made an Indian curry chicken dish based VERY loosely on a recipe I found on The Pioneer Woman site--here.

Honestly, I just used hers for inspiration. I'm not one to follow things to a tee...I like to live on the edge a little ;)

It was ahMAHzing (anyone else watch the show Happy Endings?!? SO funny)!

Seriously, I used one of those cooked chickens that you get for super cheap at the grocery store, some left over potatoes, a bunch of other random stuff from the fridge and a little Naan bread and it turned out so perfectly!

It brought be back memories of the little old Indian couple that used to sell food at the schools main bus stop in Grenada. And that's a good thing people!

I believe the exact text I got from Zach when he finally had his lunch...dinner...whatever you call eating on a night shift (mostly "food-on-the-run" would be about right. Or "take-a-bite-and-get-paged-because-a-patient-just-got-a-little-uppity-with-a-cop-and-got-himself-tasered") was "This is SO GOOOOD"

Yay me! I'm not a great cook...I do OK, but it's not my passion, therefore it lacks most days.

Just being honest.

I'm on book three in this series and it has me gripped. It's not the most amazingly written book but.... Confession: I LOVE books on the Amish. Seriously, I'm addicted.....to the point I stay up until 1AM so I can finish the book that I started when Aubrey went to bed....that same night.

I'm tired today.

These are good...and hitting the spot today.

Again proving how classy I am.

The End.

(Spell check hates me for this post...well, most posts. I'm pretty sure I love me some extra letters in a word.)

Finally Finished....

2011-11-02T10:27:00.001-04:00

Well, to be honest, I've been finished this for over a week, but forgot to post it. Oops.

Remember how I was working on this....

when the great side-tracker Aubrey got me to help her make this?.....

Well, I finally finished my wall hanging thingy....

I got the idea from Cluck Cluck Sew and I added my own little twist to it.

I desperately needed/need stuff for the walls in our master bedroom, they're bare and boring.

Not good.

So since Zach and I are Fall buffs and we both love trees, this seemed like the perfect idea to hang in a random frame I had from a few years back.

I love me a good garage sale find!

I wanted to stitch our initials on the trunk (Amy had done this on a tree thingy she made for someone's wedding present), but my embroidery skills are seriously lacking. So, no initials....maybe some day in the future.

And this is my sad sad room....

But it's not quite so sad anymore, a little sale Anthro bedding(from my birthday 3 years ago) and some stitched tree art and I'm on my way.

Look at me go ;)

I Just Have to Say....

2011-10-30T21:32:00.003-04:00

...how hot is my husband?!?

Seriously?!

Love him....especially when he has 2 days off in a row!

Aubrey's pretty darn cute too.

More pictures to come from his time off...but you'll have to be patient, I've got me some editing to do....

Scenes From A Farmer's Market....

2011-10-28T23:25:00.000-04:00

While in Canada, I went to a local farmer's market and though it was nothing to really write home about (read: super small, like 10 booths small), it still had some seriously beautiful flowers and produce!

The tomatoes were gorgeous....and expensive. How is it possible that a tomato could cost so much??

And the honey, ooooh the honey! I had NO clue there were different types of honey?!? I walked away with a jar of this...

and let me tell you, it actually has a blackberry taste to it...who knew?? Apparently the bees get their nectar mainly from blackberry bushes...I may or may not have had an in depth discussion with the seller about her honey.

I love me some funkily shaped pumpkins...gourds...whatever these were called.

mmmmm bread.

It helped that we had these two beautiful girls to watch dance, wander, and run around as well.

I mean, how cute are they?!? They being Aubrey and my sister Astrid's girl, Aniya.

Dancing away and making some Oma's fall in love with them :) And then they begged for more money to put in the case...

Seriously?!? SO CUTE!

Linking up with....

Made Me Laugh Today....

2011-10-27T14:51:00.001-04:00

A Mini Craft Session...

2011-10-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

I have been working on this Fall-esque tree (inspiration from Cluck Cluck Sew ) to go in a frame in my bedroom...which still looks the same as the day we moved into this place.

Seriously, my room is sad. Just a mish-mash of all the stuff and furniture that didn't work anywhere else in the house. It's time to do something about it.

Anyway, I was working on mine and my Mini-Me was right beside me chattering my ear off and decided she wanted to make one too. So instead of my usual, "wait Aubrey, maybe we'll do it later" annnnnd then forget and never do it, I actually stopped what I was making and made one with her.

Stopping what I'm doing mid-project is NOT a gift of mine. I get something in my head and barrel forward, poor Aubrey.

Anyway, this is what we came up with from my scraps and I love it!

I did another thing that I normally never do, let her choose all the stuff and place it....and I didn't even move anything around (as you can tell by the same fabrics being beside each other!), it was like I wasn't even me! But it turned out so amazing and she was SO proud of it and herself :)

I was going to frame it, but decided to leave it as is and just make it a little wall hanging in her room.

I'm lovin' me those frayed edges too! I mean, how cute are they?!

Annnnd here's my shameful fabric purchase I made the other day. In my defence, it's Anna Maria Horner....Anna Maria Horner for goodness sakes! Look at that lovely Innocent Crush fabric (which, oddly enough, I've been crushing on for quite some time--hahaha), sooooooo beautiful....AND 25% off! Now, if I can just get the gumption to cut into it...

Linking up here....

Aubrey And The Vacuum.

2011-10-25T18:28:00.001-04:00

So I was about to take some pictures of my vacuum....yes, I know. But I REALLY love my vacuum and I wanted to share that love with you.

Anyway, some how Aubrey snuck into the first shot and then decided that it was a photo shoot she wanted to be a part of.

Is she lifting it? Is She hugging it? I'm lost.

And then, as things usually do with Aubrey, it took a turn for the weird.

Jazz hands? ...segueing into....

Spice Girl?

I'm lost.

I think she might be too.

When in doubt, the Zach and Jen classic of "scream facing" for the camera.

After that, the Dyson looked a little lame and lonely.

It's the DC33 by the way...you should get one. It will change your life... and perhaps your daughter too.

On My Mind....

2011-10-24T11:03:00.001-04:00

I've been struggling, lately, with what my purpose in life is, I guess I'm kinda wondering what I was created for. My first answer was/is always a wife and mom. But when the day to day gets to me, I tend to think that it can't be enough and start to feel there must be something else.
I try and change my hobbies into what my purpose is, I must be here to sew, take pictures, etc.
I had a chat with someone recently who put things into perspective for me a little. I call her my "almost friend" (go ahead and laugh) because I've only met her once and chatted on the phone with her a few times since. I feel like we could be friends eventually, but I'm not about to throw myself at her and call her my bff, know what I'm saying?! Also, I have no friends here in Augusta yet (sad I know) and when you speak to another adult in person you automatically could think they're your BEST friend...so give me a break, I'm couped up with a three year old all day!
ANYWAY, my "almost friend" is in the same situation as me...almost creepily so; little kids at home, stay at home mom, husband is a surgical resident, said husband is totally into paper writing and research(just like mine) and she's a Christian.
She said that just as her husband was called to be a surgeon, she was called to be his wife.

{picture by Amy Rehbein Photography}

And that sentence has been looping in my head ever since.
I guess that's how I feel about Zach, and why I have made all the "sacrifices" (I put that in quotes because I don't really see them as such, but others might) I have for him.
I'm called to be Zach's wife. Be his helper and do the mundane daily tasks so he doesn't have to. Pray for him while he's at work, and try and be a positive person when he comes home from a 15 hour day....and his 21st day working...IN A ROW (no joke, he's in a stretch right now of 26 days straight with no days off). And being positive and happy is hard after he's been gone so long and so often, let me tell you!
But now-a-days it's not PC to say that your purpose on earth is to be a helper to your husband. You get strange looks and many shakes of the head.
I often hear, "how do you do it?!?" (I am NOT trying to toot my own horn here) and the answer is usually, I just do. But there is more to it than that.
I do it with God's help.
God's the reason I can do it, not to mention the fact that Zach is an amazing guy and is super grateful for everything I do in a day...even if it ends up being nothing. Having a husband who is so supportive of his wife staying home and loves that I take care of Aubrey and the household things, makes a world of difference. AND it makes me want to do more for him. He's an amazing father and husband and that makes it all worth while...even when he's been gone for days on end!

So, that's what's been on my mind lately. And to be honest? Once I started to think that way, the daily tasks that usually make me want to scream, have become a little easier. And the smile on my face is not forced. With God's help I'll make it through the rest of the 4 and a half years of residency and many years of working to come....and so will Zach ;)

How's This For Random?!

2011-10-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

*It's cold here people! Like really cold, get out the sweaters and scarves cold! Who knew this could happen in Georgia?!? Certainly not me.

*I'm wearing a zip-up hoodie....I'm in my happy place:)

*I have a big family, see...

*That's right, immediate family.

*It. Gets. Loud. at a family gathering.

*Might be the fact that the kids out-number the adults....yup, I bet that's it...although, we are not the quietest bunch of adults out there....

*When we get together there is a lot of this going on....

Mass chaos.

*and we eat a lot of this....

*I would like to add that I took this picture after a bunch of people had already taken some steak...and we actually, if memory serves, ran out of meat on this occasion.

*we Kliewer's love us some meat.

*One of my sister-in-law's doesn't eat meat. Seriously. I bet she goes home at night and cries over our crazy consumption of meat....probably not. She's used to us by now.

*Moving on from all things meat, I'm about 20-ish weeks along now

*I have yet to find a doctor here in Augusta, probably should get on that one.

*The baby is kicking up a freaking storm! LOVE this part(no, that was not sarcasm, I really do love it. Figured I'd clarify because I tend to err on the side of sarcasm)

*Aubrey is going through cousin withdrawal. Who can blame her?! She had someone to play with at ALL times in Canada and now, just me. Poor thing.

*Did I mention that I was cold and wearing a hoodie?!? Because I am :)

A Fall Montage....

2011-10-17T11:07:00.002-04:00

I was planning on blogging some more about Canada today, seeing as to how I have a schwack-load of pictures to post. But when I went into my iPhoto, I spotted a Fall shot and I was thrown into a complete Fall-longing tailspin, it's not even funny.

I miss the North East for many reasons, but the seasons are right up there on my list...and Fall in particular.

Zach and I have always been Fall buffs, but he more so than me. Over the years of being together his obsession has rubbed off on me and I'm happy to say my love for it now rivals his....and yes, this is something I'm ~~sadly~~ very proud of :)

I could extol the virtues of this blessed season for many many blog posts, but I will save you that boredom and just get to the pictures.

But I just have to say one thing....

I LOVE FALL!!!!!!

So here you go, my memory lane of Fall shots...

you're welcome.

{Photo credit for all the family shots (the last 6) goes to Amy Rehbein Photography. Check her out, she's pretty dang amazing! The rest of the pictures are taken by moi in Central Park, NY, Boston, MA and Carlisle, England}

Where To Start?!?

2011-10-16T11:39:00.001-04:00

I stayed up WAY too late last night editing pictures from my Canada trip. Like way, waaay too late...as in I'm seriously suffering today. But in my defence, Zach was working a night shift and I had no one there to ask me what the heck I was still doing up and that I should get my butt in bed...don't know how that is in my defence, but I'm going with it, okay?? Good.

I have several hundred pictures to go through and these were the ones that I felt like editing, so here they are!

This is Clayburn Village, an old historic town in the area I grew up.

I know what you're thinking, "old historic town in West Coast Canada?!?". Well, it's there, so it must be true. And yes, on the West Coast, 1905 is historic.

This is a SUPER cute tea/old time candy shop that I went to with my sister and her little family. WAY over priced, but so cute it's worth it! It's been around for years and the joke is that no one knows when it's open. Seriously, you'll go there in the middle of the day, on a week day, for coffee and it's closed. There are no hours posted on the door and no dates when it's open. Yet it is super popular and has been in business for something like 25 years.

I don't get it!

But I do when I go in, SO charming!

All the old fixtures and antiques all over the place, it's so wonderfully cluttered! The owners are English and it has a total feel of an English tea shop.

Look at this amazing cash register!

And for a candy buff such as myself, this is heaven!

I may have been slightly obnoxious in there with my camera, but I'm so glad I took pictures....minus the fact that I'm having a serious candy craving now...

Back Home....

2011-10-15T12:14:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting in my kitchen looking at my home sweet home...literally. I'm looking at a Home Sweet Home sign Amy's daughter made me :)...and I could not agree more.

I was on the West Coast of Canada visiting family and friends for the last 3 weeks and although it was fun and fabulous, I could not be happier to be home.

I'm a homebody.

Seriously, I LOVE to be home.

The last week of our trip Aubrey was off, like REALLY off. Just not herself and I know it's because she was so done with falling asleep in a new bed every night, not to mention being drug from house to house to visit every day.

Don't get me wrong, she LOVED spending time with her 13 cousins....yes you read right, and that is just my side... but after a while, you could just tell she was finished.

And so was I.

What made this trip the hardest, well leaving the hardest, was I don't know when I'm going back.

I actually don't mind living away from family, I even kind of like it (sorry to the family that is reading). I love my family very much, but after living away from them for the last 6 years, I'm kinda used to it.

It's kind of nice to be removed from it all and only have the "good times" when you go to visit. Know what I mean?

In the past we've visited at least once a year, if not more, and that always made it easy to leave because we knew when we'd see them all again. But this time around, we have no clue--and it's a weird feeling.

At least we have fabulous people in our lives (family/friends) who are more than willing to come and visit us and make the effort when we can't! We are so blessed :)

These pictures are all random views from the town I'm from....and man is it ever gorgeous! Seriously, I annoyed everyone I know with my talk of the mountains and farmland. But come on, look at it! SO beautiful!

There are way more pictures to come, but I just uploaded them and I have to still edit....a daunting task to say the least.

Forget Packing....

2011-09-15T09:42:00.001-04:00

After packing for a cross country move (well, kinda cross country, more like down country....that doesn't sound right....you get what I mean, right? a move down South... I'll stop now) packing for a three week trip seems like nothing, thus the procrastinating :) It's what I do best.

So instead of boring old packing, I've made my nieces cute head bands! I just took plain ribbon and tried to spruce it up, and I'm loving how they turned out! My nieces range in age from 2 to 12 and random ages in between. Ergo the reasoning behind them looking a bit different to try and accommodate their ages.

This one is for my oldest niece, Taylor. The rosette is detachable and has a pin on the back so she can use it on something else--if she so pleases

Because my measuring was a bit off and this one was slightly bigger than the one in the below picture, it's for the next in age, Jordis

This one's for Jamie, who's four. Not sure if these girls will wear them, hopefully... I did painstakingly make all those pleats.... maybe I could guilt them into wearing them, something to consider.

The not-so-little-anymore Aniya gets this one, most comfortable and shouldn't slip off when she's running around like a maniac ;)

And because Aubrey has outgrown a lot of her clothes for fall....understandably, she's been wearing her clothes from when she was 18 months. And before you go and think it's because we were too cheap to get her new ones and let her walk around with ankle biters and 3/4 length sleeves(not the cool kind), it was actually because I was a good frugal mom and bought her stuff a bit bigger....and then she decided she was too cool to grow. No joke, she can still wear a pair of 12-18 month jeans...she was blessed with my leg length, poor girl.

Anyways, this just in--clothes are expensive!

So me being the crafty person I am (riiiight) bought some plain cheap/on clearance shirts from Target and Walmart and decided to do a little applique on them.

And they turned out so cute! ...if I do say so myself *insert pat on own back*

I mean, look at all that shabby goodness!

So that was how I spent yesterday...I'm pretty sure I should get some packing or cleaning done today, buuuut I think I'll sew again. There's always tomorrow night to pack (that would be the Kliewer way....).