PW and Gravy

I had heard about this one particular woman many, many, MANY times around the internet and from my friend over at Sugar Britches. She seemed to be a pretty famous woman. One who many bloggers and internet junkies in general love. After being completely curious, and oblivious, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Yes, I had to google.....Pioneer Woman!

If you had to click on that link to find out who I am talking about...well, let's just say that I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who didn't know who she was.

Anyways, once I went to her site, I had to add her to my favorite list. Yep, I love PW!!! She stole my heart. Her recipes, I am so excited about trying, and even told both Hubby and my mom that I wanted her cookbook, that she just released, for Christmas. I'm really hoping that one of them fulfills my request!!

Anyways, I was looking through some of her recipes and came across a biscuits and gravy one. I was in awe. Complete and total awe. Why??

Well, you see, I have been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the stove top. Now I'm not that much of a chef, or anything close to it, but there are just some things that one should know HOW to cook. Especially a southern cook.

WHITE GRAVY!

Can you believe that I am 27, yes I said it, years old, and I only started being able to make an edible pan of gravy in the past 2 months?!?!? Is that gasps and laughter I hear?? Didn't think so!

What? That still doesn't answer your question on why I am in total awe of her B & G recipe? Well, let me just tell you...

She measured everything out to a T!!! I am not one to measure when I cook. I think that's why I hate baking anything. You have to measure everything out perfectly or it doesn't turn out. Except for dump cake. Yay for dump cake!! My gravy is made by taste seasoning. If it tastes good enough to eat, than it's good. :-)

So, if you haven't checked out The Pioneer Woman's website, I strongly suggest you do so. You won't be sorry...I promise!!

My Husband, The Carpenter!

So Hubby is a man of many talents. He is one of the smartest guys I know, he draws, he's creative (he can turn an ordinary object into something totally different, and we have just learned he's a carpenter too!

Before Sissy's birthday party he was building some stuff to make our house look like a home.

(This was our plain jane table that he combined with an old antique dresser to make a desk)

(A key/hat holder)

(A gun rack fashioned out of some remaining OAD (old antique dresser) parts.)

And now for the most recent build. Something that he is extremely proud of and I am just in awe over! His first bed!!!

(Made all by hand)

(I think Bubba likes his toddler bed!)

You got rewarded for what??

My friend, over at SugarBritches, did a post concerning getting her 6 year old to do chores, and asked what we thought about rewards. It got me thinking, I never really had a "reward system" growing up. I didn't get an allowance, or candy, or got to pick out anything special and fun at WM. I didn't even get stickers!! I did, however, get to keep my stuff, and got to do things (i.e. go to friend's house, or have them over) for doing what I was told chores.

In fact, something I joke about today, especially since I have kids of my own, is that my dad always told me that he had kids so that we could do the things he didn't want to do. He told me these things as I would gripe and complain about having to get him something to drink, or anything that he didn't want to get up and get himself, or as I cleaned the kitchen and he watched TV. Back then, it made me mad! Today, I just laugh about it, because I totally understand what he meant now!! LOL!!! One of these days, I think I will be repeating those same words to my kids.

The odd thing about the rewards system is, I did have one, just not for chores, but for basketball. Yep, you heard right, basketball! I had a chart and had to make a certain amount of free throws and post shots to get a check mark. At the end of the month, I got a dollar for every check. Problem was, I wasn't, and still am not, an outside girl. I would rather be inside on even the prettiest days. So my check marks you could count on one hand! Maybe they should have built me an indoor court...just saying.

The sun cannot compare to the glory of Your love

Oh My! Lots to tell!!!

Friday, my sister had her c-section. Even though there were some complications, she was blessed with a beautiful 8lb 12.4oz little girl. Both Mom and Baby are doing good, now.

(My beautiful baby niece!)

After a week of cleaning, planning, buying, and inviting, we were actually able to enjoy Sissy's 3rd Birthday on Saturday! She was indeed the Princess for the day. My mom and little sister came by the house around noon to pick her up and take her on a little outing before the party started. They took her to WM, Mickey D's, and to Stage where she got to pick out her birthday presents. And I must say, she did an awesome job!! That little girl has got some good taste!!

(The Birthday Princess)

(Her Princess Castle cake)

(Admiring her cake)

(I told her to smile. While gritting her teeth and smiling, she replied "I AM!")

(Blowing out her candle)

(Card...$3.00, Cash...$10.00, Her face...Priceless!)

(Rocking her Hannah Montana glasses)

(She was drawing on her Doodle Pro while I was sitting beside her on my laptop. I looked to see what she was drawing and this is what I saw! I was so proud of her and she in turn was happy that she made me so proud!!)

(Yep...she drew them ALL by herself! From the mouth and eyes to the tails. I think she's going to be an artist like her daddy!!)

Today I was very happy that Hubby went to church with us! I have said before on here that I would love to have him join us more, and with the new promotion, he is able (and willing) to do just that!

Speaking of his promotion...so far, so good! After his last overnight, he had 5 days to get his schedule swithed around, and if you remember from my last post, it didn't work. His first day, he woke up at 2am and didn't get to go back to bed until after 9pm! Which brings us to the whole whining thing that I mentioned...

Anyways, he worked his first 3 days as Co-Manager, then started vacation. He doesn't have to go back until next Sunday!!! Yay! We are so happy to have him home more! If he was on overnights, his vacation would consist of him going to bed at 3pm and waking up somewhere between 1am and 2am. Kinda puts a damper on your day.

I've been trying to talk him into taking a trip to LR where we lived for 3 1/2 years for Hubby's first job as an Assistant Manager. I would love to visit and see everyone that we had became friends with up there, and let them see our two beautiful children. We will see, we will see.

Letter to Hubby

Dear Hubby,

We need to talk. There are a few things that I need to bring to your attention that I don't think you know.

1. Your daughter and I get disgusted when we have to go to the bathroom and the lid is still up. It's not a hard job to put it is down, is it? I mean, I know that men all over the world have problems with this job, but can't you be different?
2. You have 1 more day before you have to work days. You need to get your sleep schedule turned around! I know, I know, "it's hard"," you try it", blah blah blah blah blah. MAKE YOURSELF DO IT!! You have to, otherwise, your first 12 1/2 hour shift at work is gonna kick your booty. And personally, I don't want to hear you whine about it doing just that!
3. I love you and your creativity. I love how you can turn a piece of ordinary wood, or an old antique desk, into a couple of different masterpieces. But for the love of all that is righteous...PLEASE DO NOT POLYURETHANE IN THE HOUSE!!! My head feels like its going to explode, and if mine feels that bad, think of how the kids feel. All the windows in the house and the front and back doors are open, trying to air out the place just because you didn't want to wait a few hours longer for it to dry before you can hang it out! Not cool, man, not cool!
4. Because of #3, the doors are only open for the time being because Sissy is asleep, hopefully that's all she is, and Bubba is in his highchair eating. Once he gets down, the doors will have to be shut once again, which makes it harder for the stench to escape the closed in portion called the house. Doesn't it say on the bottle to only use in a well ventilated area?? And don't you know that it's 50 degrees outside...not the type of weather where you want to windows and doors all open!

Love,

Your loving, caring, and understanding wife

A House is Just a House...

Things have been hectic around here lately. I guess that's why I haven't posted anything for over a week!

Sissy's 3rd birthday is 10 days away and we have yet to completely plan her party. We set a date and time, but found out today that we may have to move it. Hubby may end up having to work that day. Not quite sure yet.

So anyways, we have been trying to prepare our house for the party. Cleaning, organizing, throwing away, selling, and going through a bunch of stuff! We had a yard sale this past weekend and got rid of a bunch of stuff. Our garage looks a lot bigger without a bunch of junk in it. I guess that's what led me to start giong through all four closests, the junk drawers..yes we have more than one, and the kids dressers.

We have had the same kitchen table and chairs since we first got together about 8 years ago, and we hardly ever used them. So Hubby took an old antique dresser that we had, cut it up, combined it with our table, and made a desk out of it. He also bought some decor stuff from WM to make the house pretty more like a home instead of just a house. I would have loved to do some before and after pictures to post, but Hubby likes to surprise me. So when I woke up one morning, the table/dresser/desk was already almost done, and the next morning, the decor was almost all put up and done.

We have been SOOO excited about Hubby's promotion! We are already anticipating being able to buy a house this spring...hopefully! The fact that Hubby will be on days is way more special to me and the kids though!

I can now sleep!

Do you remember when I last asked for you guys' prayers? It's been almost a month since Hubby's first interview. After that 1st interview it took another week or so for his 2nd one. That one was almost 2 weeks ago!

Well, I want to thank all of you for the prayers for God's Will be done in our lives. I am kind of ashamed that it was something very hard for me to pray for...and I would catch myself praying for Hubby to get the promotion instead of "for His Will be done"! I would even go so far as to telling God why it would be in His best interest for Hubby to get this job! (Hubby would have more Sundays off than not, which would make him able to go to church more. We are trying our hardest to get him into church and I just knew this would be the way!) See, I told you it was hard for me!

Well I am please to announce that through much prayer, whether it be the right way or not, it paid off! I believe that this is God's Will...if not, Hubby would not have got the job that we have been longing for since August!! Yep, Hubby is now one of two managers RIGHT below the store manager!

I couldn't be more proud of him! He so deserves this! He is very good at his job, and no, I'm not just biased. I have had many people tell me so!

I can't wait for him to start this job! It will be so nice to see him more! Right now, is works 4 days then 4 off, but he works overnights. We hardly get to see him on his days off because he sleeps. With this job, he will be on days and ONLY on days. He won't have to work overnights again! Even though he works 3 on and 3 off, he will be awake for his days off! I am so excited about him being home at night too! Momma just don't sleep well without Daddy!

Anyways, I was just so excited when I got the news this morning that I had to share it! Thanks again for the prayers!!

The worst four letter word in the world!

IRON!!

I HATE TO IRON!! It is BY FAR the chore I hate the most!

When I was in school, I hated ironing so much that my mom would yell at me for going to school with wrinkly clothes. "You are going to school like THAT?!?! It looks like you just threw something on that was wadded up in her hamper!" Umm...yeah, Mom, I am.

My dad worked overnights as a supervisor for Tyson. So in the evenings, mom would cook supper/breakfast and I would iron his work clothes. Still to this day, I hate seeing the Tyson khaki superior uniform. One morning he came home from work and told me that he knew I hated ironing, but didn't realize that I would go to such extremes to make sure he wouldn't ever ask me to iron again! What?? He then informed me that he went to work with only one pants leg ironed!! LOL!!! Yep, I only ironed one leg, and he had to go all night like that! I had to continue ironing for him until I moved out after graduation, but don't think he didn't ask me every time I ironed if I got both legs!

When I Hubby and I got together, I realized that he was indeed, and ironer. He ironed his shirts, his khakis, and his jeans. He even ironed his shorts if they weren't basketball shorts. So, of course, I started ironing my stuff too. I couldn't let him look better than me! I did that for 5 years...until I became a SAHM.

Why in the world would I iron my pajamas clothes that I wore around the house all day?!?! If I go somewhere like church, or just out of the house, I will iron. Ok, well, I throw my clothes in the dryer with a wet washcloth for 20 minutes or so. I HATE IRONING!!

Hubby, on the other hand, still has to have his work clothes ironed. I used to just be able to throw them in the dryer too, but he now has to wear these shirts that I HAVE to iron. You know...the kind that it doesn't matter how quick you take them out of the dryer after it is done, they are still wrinkly? Or the kind that the collar is so stiff that if you don't hold the iron on it for more than a few seconds, it pops right back up? Yeah, that kind.

So the past few weeks, I have had to do that chore I hate so much. When he asked me today to iron for him, I have to admit, I got a little attitude with him. Okay a LOT of attitude with him. He asked what my deal was and I had to confess that I hated ironing more than any other chore in the world. I don't think he gets it...

Materialistic Girl??

I was never the materialistic girl growing up. It was just my mom and I for about 4 years when I was little, and having name brand clothes or shoes were never an option. When my mom met the man who is now my dad, he had 3 kids from a previous marriage. They, on the other hand, enjoyed their name brand stuff. I mean if you are able to afford it, more to ya!

It was always a given, when my mom would take one of my sisters (the one closest in age to me) and I clothes shopping, she got the name brand stuff, and I didn't. It wasn't that we couldn't afford it, it just didn't matter that much to me to have that stuff. I mean, why would I spend $100 on just one outfit or maybe two, when I could spend that much on a whole crap-load of clothes!

Still to this day, I am more comfortable buying WM brand clothes like Faded Glory, then name brand stuff like, well, I can't even think of any brand name clothes...how sad is that?!?!

Unfortunately, the rest of my "wants" are not so realistic. I blame my husband. He is a giver. I know, your jealous, aren't you! He shows his love by showering me with gifts. A new set of dishes, a new set of Paula Deen cookware, and most recently (not that the others were given to my in the past month!) a new laptop that includes a huge wide screen monitor AND a blue ray player just to name a few.

Yes, it's nice, sometimes. But it does have it's downside. Romantic? HA! I don't think he even knows what that word means! I tried to get him to take me to dinner for our anniversary...didn't happen. I got my dishes and cookware. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Completely...

***************************

For once, I am feeling somewhat better and human again. Not like a stinking pig! Yep, I had the swine flu. Sorry, I mean the H1N1. At least I'm 99% sure that's what I had. I had the same symptoms that everyone that tested positive had, but I never went to the doctor. Only because everything I read about it said that most people can recover from it by just resting and drinking lots of fluids. So, that's what I did. I figured, why spend the money on a doctor bill AND medicine if I can just take OTC Thera-flu and get rid of it.

Unfortunately, because of that decision, it has taken me a LOT longer to recover than most people. I started getting sick when I woke up Sept. 12. Yes, I remember the date exactly because of this. It was the day I had my first paying photography gig! It's been almost 2 weeks and I am still feeling it! It's almost ALL gone though, and I am ready!

Both the kids are sick, but not with the flu. Bubba just has a runny nose and a cough. No fever or anything. Sissy is the same way, but with a low dose fever off and on...not bad. I took her to the doctor yesterday and he said that she just has a cold. If she starts getting a high fever to take her back in because then it is more than likely the flu. Poor kids!

And on top of that...they BOTH busted their mouths opened yesterday. Bubba was playing in the kitchen when I heard him screaming. I ran in there and he was laying in the floor. I thought that he just bumped his head and would be okay, until I seen the blood pouring from his mouth. I picked him up, got Hubby out of bed, and we tried to clean him up with a wet washcloth. I noticed that he had split that little piece of skin that connects his top lip to his gums. Less than 10 minutes after that incident, Sissy fell backwards in her chair bringing her little table down with her. Yep. It smacked her right in the mouth! I had two kids, blood gushing out of their mouths at the same time! One kid is bad enough, but two bleeding from their mouths? Not fun!!

Well, I hope that all of you guys are well and not sick. If so, I hope you get to feeling better soon!! Really! I know how miserable it is!!!

7 years in the making

Eight years ago, Hubby and I started dating.

(Our first Thanksgiving together...the week after we started dating.)

Marriage was in the talks with us. We knew wanted to but just didn't know when. In January, I proposed. Near the first of the summer we started planning a vacation for September. We were going to Pensacola to see his mom. We decided that we would get married before-hand and use the trip as our honeymoon.

(Our engagement picture)

Neither one of us wanted a fancy wedding for many reasons. So we opted to go to the courthouse and have the judge or a JP do it for us. The week before we planned on leaving, we talked about just getting married on the beach in Pensacola, but didn't know how to go about it. We planned on leaving on Sunday, and on Thursday morning, we talked about going to the courthouse Saturday....but yes, we then realized the courthouse would be closed. So since we already had our marriage license in hand, we called up the JP that worked at the local bank and asked if he would marry us the next day. Thankfully, he said yes.

So on Sept. 18, 2002 I became Mrs. Hubby! A year later, we moved from the place we called home to a place 2.5 hours away for Hubby's job. It was a very hard time for us, seeing as we didn't have any family up there, and the only "friends" we had were people we worked with. We decided to start a family after about 6 months to a year of living there. Two miscarriages later, we decided that it was time to stop trying...neither one of us could take losing another one. Especially being so far away from loved ones!

After being up there about 3 years, Hubby got the opportunity to move back "home". Of course we jumped on it in a heartbeat! We had been back home for a week, and something told me take a HPT. It was positive! But we weren't positive that things would be okay. So we tried not to get too excited. I made an appointment with an OB/GYN and he started me on some progesterone pills. They made me extremely sick, but in the end were definitely worth it.

So after 2.5 years of trying to get pregnant, on October 17, 2006, the Lord blessed us with a beautiful little girl. I know that He had a plan for us, and it didn't include having a baby so far away from our families. We were truly blessed!

(Daddy, Mommy, and Sissy)

The next year was a whirlwind. We loved our little girl so much, and our love for each other continued to grow. We had so much fun as a family and decided that since it took so long for us to get pregnant with Sissy, that when she turned 2, we would start trying for another one. The Lord, of course, had different plans. A about a month or so after Sissy's 1st birthday, I was having a conversation with a co-worker that led to me taking a pregnancy test...long story. Yep, pregnant. I wasn't so sure about it, I mean they would only be 21 months apart! Would I be able to handle it? Would Sissy be able to handle it? Would our family be able to it?

But that didn't matter...because on July 15, 2008, Bubba was born. We couldn't be happier! Our family felt complete.

(Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, and Bubba)

The past 7 years of our marriage have had its ups and downs, but we wouldn't change any part of it. We love our kids and we love each other! Who knew that 11 years ago when we first met, we would have the life and family that we have know. Filled with love, laughter, kids, and each other!

(Daddy, Bubba, Mommy, on Bubba's 1st Birthday)

Happy Anniversary, Hubby! Here's to many, many, MANY more!!! I love you!!