My Veteran

I'm so incredibly thankful and proud of that man. It's easy to remember in our day to day lives how much military families are asked to sacrifice. What I tend to forget is how much my husband sacrificed individually. After all, while he was off in Iraq, I was exercising my freedom to get an education. I was sitting comfortably in my air conditioned home, surrounded by friends and family who love me. I forget that Captain J had little luxury for the year he was away. I forget that he took a year out of his life and decided he would spend it  in a war torn country, attempting to make beneficial changes there. I tend to forget because I like to think of that as his job. It's something separate from me, right? But being in the military is so much more than just a job.  I'm really proud to be married to my veteran! This picture just reminds me that there are so many men and women currently serving overseas who are sacrificing their lives in some capacity every single day. Thank God for each of them!

P.S.- He's not bad on the eyes either ;)

P.P.S- Link up your recent military related post here.

Innocence

"If my heart can become pure and simple,
like that of a child, I think there probably
can be no greater happiness than this."
- Kitaro Nishid

One of the joys of motherhood that I simply cannot wait for is hearing the silly, thoughtful, and/or hilarious comments that might escape my child's lips. Aren't kids so funny? I can think of so many stories that have happened just recently that make me giggle. Even the word "story" has one all its own.

Our first Army social here at Ft. Benning was a few weeks ago. I wasn't particularly looking forward to it as I'm not the most social person on the planet (far from it). I nervously walked around, weaving myself around a bunch of dudes respectable young men in khakis and ties. Out of the various women there adorning their soldiers' arms, I knew none of them were likely to come talk to me. I don't know anyone in this town, as you may know. Little did I know that it would be a small child, sweetly matching her little sister who would bring me out of my shell.

We began chatting as her father nervously looked over at us, afraid she might say something embarrassing. He mouthed, "Sorry" more than a few times, but I didn't mind. She was fascinating to talk to. I began answering one of the (many) questions she had for me when I started off with, "wow, that is quite a story!" Slightly confused, she replied, "No, it's TRUE!" Her mother leaned over at this point and reminded her that "stories" weren't limited to fiction. It made me smile, but the funny part was yet to come...

Fifteen minutes into the conversation and ignoring all adult social rules by facing me, inches away this beautiful little child of seven asked me to sing for her. In a room full of officers and their wives. Dressed rather oddly, trying to hide my little baby bump. She wanted me to belt it out! I told her that if I did  then people might run away screaming. Her small face became wide with surprise and she got even closer to me, looked me in the eye, and said, "Really?!"

It was precious. It's these little moments that cause me to miss the innocence of childhood. I cannot wait to have a sweet little baby, my reminder of the wonder and excitement that life can hold.

[caption id="attachment_2248" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Photo Credit @adventure-learning-initiatives.com"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2249" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Photo Credit @ localism.com"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2250" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="Photo Credit @ cindygraves.wordpress.com"][/caption]

These are a few of...

my favorite things! Not as cool as Oprah's favorite things, but still post worthy. I mean, you've gotta appreciate the small things in life!



1. Amazon deliveries (and reading!)- Call me a bible thumping Republican, if you will, I've been called worse. I'm excited to read these three new books that were delivered to my door yesterday. Back in our days in the Great White North, I visited Decision Points at Barnes and Noble each time I went to read by the fire. I never purchased it, though. It's mine now! America By Heart was one I added to my list, too because I think Sarah Palin in interesting. Finally, Baby Wise was recommended to me by several mothers and soon-to-be mothers. It's a Christian-based book that supposedly is a miracle worker for trying to get your baby to sleep through the night!



2. Bath time- Ahh, I just love a nice hot bath! Pretty pink robes and products that make my skin super soft and smooth are some of my very favorite things. Usually, I'd add a glass of red to this combo, but I think Baby is too young for that yet. ;) Oddly, I haven't missed my wine tastings much.



3. Fabulous vintage finds- I found this old ring at a vintage jewelry store in town for 3 dollars. Consignments and repeat stores are my new best friends.

What are some of the small things in your life that make you happy?

 

Before & After

Meet Jilly. She's the soon to be Mom who has already let herself go. Her wardrobe consists of old college sweatshirts and dingy sweatpants she has had since high school. For the most part, she has been content with the way she looks on a day-to-day basis, but that's all going to change today.

Today Jilly is getting made-over.

With a little help from the shower, makeup, and closet fairies (no pun intended there), Jilly is a whole new woman. You might even call her fierce.



Top: Express circa 2007, Leggins: Maurice's

After a few accessories to brighten her day, she's ready to hit the town (or not).





She might just go back to her spot on the couch and wait till next Wednesday to dress up again. 2nd Trimester, where art thou?

Wanna play dress up with the girls? Head over to No Model Lady to link up!

Mothers...help!

Caution: Do not read if pregnant bellies gross you out. ;)

This week has been, well, terribly uncomfortable. Monday I felt blah, Tuesday I was extremely tired, and today I am pukey. I'm sorry for sharing. I'm just a little concerned. See, I made it to the 11 Week mark, but my baby bump is noticeably smaller than last week. I've been having a hard time eating. I feel as if I eat all the time, but I'm never craving anything so it's a chore to do so. I've also lost weight. I don't know if this is normal, but it's freaking me out. Next Wednesday (my appointment) can't come soon enough.



Women's Healthcare Topics says this about Week 11:

Up until 11 weeks pregnant, you could see right through your baby's skin. Your baby's skin will remain paper thin, but soon it will become a multi-layered membrane and lose much of its transparency. By this point in time, your little one should be able to open and close his or her fists, and little buds are forming in his or her mouththat will eventually develop into teeth!

By pregnancy 11 weeks, your baby's fingers and toes have lost their amphibious-like resemblance, now they are separated instead of webbed. Your little one is taking advantage of the huge space she is floating in by kicking and squirming about. In the next three weeks, your baby will go through a tremendous growth spurt, almost doubling in size. At no other time in your baby's life will she undergo as many rapid changes as are occurring during this stage of your pregnancy.

Any mothers out there that experienced weight loss at the end of the 1st trimester?

 



- signed Worried Mama

Military Mondays- Care Package Edition

It's time for one of my favorite blog hops-- It's Military Mondays with Candace over at Army Wives Lives! Go link up your recent military related post with her and then hop on around to see what everyone else has to say today. As for me, I'd like to help my ladies in waiting out. If your military sweetie is deployed this year for Valentine's Day, this post is especially for you.

Care package preparation is an art form, isn't it? It can be so much fun. All the love and longing for that person has to be summed up in one little APO flat rate box so that when the service person opens it, he/she feels all the love from a million miles away. That's how I liked to prepare my boxes for Captain J anyway. And if it happened to be a holiday, his pride had to go out the window (For those who don't know, the army will go through the box to make sure there's nothing that isn't supposed to be in it)! For Valentine's Day that year, I went all out with pink and red and other embarrassing things.

I didn't go out of my budget, though. I was in college, people. Broke! Just because you don't have funds to buy something nice doesn't mean his Valentine's Day can't be special. Here's what I did:



Lots of cheesy stuff involved in this package! I used my crafting skills to put together a sweet note for him and various other reminders of why I love him ;) The dollar store helped out with this package, too. They had a ribbon there (see photo) which I can't remember for the life of me what it said, but it inspired another idea that I'll get to in just a moment. Captain J isn't a sweets man (which is nuts!) so I had to get creative with the food I sent. Wrapped up in pink tissue paper, I sent one of his favorites that he couldn't seem to get in Iraq- popcorn! On it, I left a silly note that probably said something along the lines of: "My heart is poppin' with love for you" or something equally corny (no pun intended there!)

Get a Valentine's picture frame with your photo in it so he can place it by his bed and think about how next year he might get to be with you when Feb. 14th rolls around! I also placed a candle in there (but you'll have to make sure that is an approved item).

Next, decorate the inside and outside of the box and fill it with red, decorative foods. I used kisses and twizzlers.

Voila! You have the beginnings of a sweet box! My favorite part of the whole Valentine's package was this, though:



The trophy! I went to my local goodwill and picked up a small trophy to recycle into something fun. Choose one that looks festive and not too sporty. Because Captain J and I weren't married yet, I gave him the "Best Boyfriend Ever Award". I personalized it by putting his name at the bottom. All I needed for this project were some markers, construction paper or card stock, and ribbon. Measure the parts of the trophy that need to be covered and then decorate accordingly. I had some extra heart stickers so I used them on the base, too for extra color.

I'd love to say he cherished this and it's sitting on our bedroom dresser now, but I'm pretty sure it didn't make it home from the deployment. As you probably know, being in Iraq surrounded by hundreds of bored soldiers can create some pretty interesting scenarios. This trophy ended up being re-gifted to someone in some sort of prank. At least they're having fun, right?

There you have it- a very cheap and easy way to show your man you're thinking of him.

Now, this post was geared towards those who will be without there significant others this year. It's about time to send off those packages so they'll get there in time! For those of you who get to be with your lovers this year (lucky!), I'm still thinking on ideas for us. Look for a post soon!

Happy Monday!

Oh, happy day

Today was a good day. I wonder how many of my post start off that way? I suppose it's not a bad thing to recognize that life is pretty darn sweet around here. I woke up feeling not quite so wonky, not quite so fatigued. Out to breakfast, I discovered that Starbucks will make any of their drinks decaf. Enter happiness overload. I vowed to cut out caffeine (except for the occasional sweets) when I found out I was expecting. No cokes, no coffee, no so-many-other-things-I-love. Oh, how I've missed my daily dose of coffee. I enjoyed a cup without feeling bad about myself one bit.

Later, I felt so good that the hubs and I took Drifter and Holly for a walk around the park near our house. As always, they loved getting out and about. Holly donned her easily excitable demeanor as she looked from tree to tree spotting squirrels and flighty birds. Drifter seemed to just be glad to be among the living. He's so social; you would think he never sees humans or other dogs.

[caption id="attachment_2210" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I'm ready to go, Mom!"][/caption]

Guess what? After our stroll down lover's lane, I STILL felt pretty good. J headed off to the grocery store to prepare for THE GAME while I stayed and tried to clean the disaster area my house had become. We began to prepare to watch the Steelers vs. Jets and settle in for the night.





Needless to say, this game contributed to my good day with a win from the Steelers! AFC champs, yet again. It's a pretty exciting Sunday around here. Just ask Drifter-



GO STEELERS!


p.s- Take a look over at the right hand side of the page. See the nifty poll located there? If you haven't already, go vote to tell me whether you think we're having a baby girl or baby boy. Thanks y'all!

Greener Grass

Why does the grass always seem to be greener on the other side? I'm sure if I were in Alaska right now I would be longing for the tshirt weather we're experiencing here. I'm positive that I would be entirely sick of the snow and forty below temps. So tell me...

Why is it that as I sit here watching The Wild Within, my mind is drifting back to the place where J and I fell in love? There's something about that place. The beauty of Alaska is unlike any other place I've visited. I think life is supposed to be lived like that or mine is at least. You can drive for miles, hours and not see a single soul. You may not cross a single road. All that surrounds you is God's green earth (or white winter wonderland). That, my friends, is beautiful.

Spending time in the woods- hunting, camping, and fishing- changed me. Of course, I grew up camping and fishing, but doing it in Alaska is a whole different ball park than East Tennessee. Fishing, for sure, is a time for re-invention. Different fish, different rules call for different strategies. I enjoyed the excitement of hooking my first grayling and showing my Army man that I wasn't a total girly girl. Camping became a popular past-time  for us, too. Waking up to the freshest air I can imagine, beside the best friend I could imagine, and knowing that all we really have in a thousand mile radius is each other is something that changed me.

I don't want to move back to Fairbanks, but I would consider somewhere on the coast of Alaska in a heartbeat. I missed shopping, chain restaurants, and the instant gratification that cities can bring during our stay there. I would trade all that in, though for the modest cabin life Captain J and I once had. I miss it. Alaska, the place I said I would never want to go, has become a place that spoke to my soul. How could it not?

If you haven't visited Alaska, you should. Put it on your list. If it weren't for the Army, Baby, and wanting him/her to be around all the people we love, we'd be in Seward or Haines at the drop of a hat. I hope one day we can return to the place where we began-

Come to Mama

* Ding Dong*

Uh-oh. That's the doorbell. What do I do? I can't go to the door! I need a brush and a bra before that happens. Well, I could throw on this sweatshirt and pull my hair into a messy bun. It's probably someone I don't know, ya know because I don't know anyone in this town. But what if it's my one friend? She'll always remember the time I answered the door lookin' a hot mess. Oh well, that's what friends are for, right?

As I open the front door, I notice no one is there. "That was quick!", I thought. Then I look down and there's a shiny new package sitting there. I love Christmas in January...and Amazon. Could it be the bazillion books I ordered? Or is it that sweet preggo pillow I talked about earlier? Noticing it was light and printed with the obvious, I toted it to the living room for a better look.



"Today's Mom"- Eek! That can't be for me. I'm going to be a mom? Crazy.

Anywho, let's bust into that thing...



Hello, glorious pregnancy pillow. Come to Mama!

(Jesse- Thanks for the Amazon GC) I'm hoping this pillow changes my life.

Speaking of Christmas in January, I still have some presents that I never gave/mailed. Please forgive me. They'll get there eventually. Isn't it more fun that way? ;)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to clean the entire house  test out this gloriousness .

Don't Give Up Yet

I've been wanting to participate in this lady's weekly segment, All Dressed Up, for weeks now. But, well, there's just that one thing keeping me from it...

I never feel cute anymore. The idea is to dress up on Wednesdays in anything that makes you feel good about yourself. How fun!? I'm just having a hard time seeing my chubby little pregnant belly in my normal clothes so I rarely get out of pajamas these days. Terrible, I know. Yesterday, I dizzily meandered to a couple shopping destinations to purchase some bigger shirts that don't cling to me and they've made a world of difference. I can now join society again. Just in time for an Army social tonight! Oh, joy.





10 weeks preggo. I guess you can call this my "Don't Give Up Yet Look"-

Peace out, girl scouts.

Dialect Vlog Mrs. K Style

Disclaimer: I can't be held responsible for the lack of makeup or use of a brush in this vlog. Blame the baby. Oh, and P.S.-Even if you talk weird, I'll probably still like you



Here are the words: Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

Here are the questions:

• What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?


• What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?


• What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?


• What do you call gym shoes?


• What do you say to address a group of people?


• What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?


• What do you call your grandparents?


• What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?


• What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?


• What is the thing you change the TV channel with? 

I hope you'll play along. If you do, be sure to leave your link!

Over the weekend-

I love four day weekends! Captain J had Friday-Monday off of work so I had him all to myself. We had plans to go on adventures this weekend but that just didn't happen. In fact, there was one day, spent in its entirety, in our robes! I don't regret it. I haven't exactly felt like hiking a couple miles to see anything except maybe a fully stocked refrigerator. Speaking of, I took a 10 week photo and I can't believe how huge I look. Aren't most people NOT showing much at this point? I can still hide my belly with loose fitting shirts, but I find (especially at night) that my baby bump is pretty prominent (See below!). Lately, I haven't been feeling well at night. I'm clinging to the old saying, "It'll get worse before it gets better." The nighttime sickness is the "worst" part and in a few short weeks, I'll be magically cured, rested, and full of energy. Right? ;)



Yesterday, I was really craving sweets so I whipped up some of The Pioneer Woman's cobbler. It was so tasty and easy! The best part is, you'll probably only need to buy fruit. It's likely you already have the other ingredients required. I was especially proud to create a successful cobbler because last time I attempted it, I ended up with fruit floating in butter! J was not impressed. Turns out, self rising flour is key. All purpose flour doesn't work despite the deceiving name! :) Check out that recipe here (I used strawberry halves, raspberries, and blackberries instead). Captain J enjoyed it much more this time and actually ate more than I did. He's not a sweets person so I'll file this under "keeper".



Perhaps the picture above contributes to the first picture? Nah! I just had a tiny bit. I've been trying to eat healthy for baby. The things I miss the most are sushi, herbal teas, deli meats, and coffee- not together, of course. Want to know what's going on inside at week 10? I'm stealing this from the cute, soon-to-be Mom, Shannon:

Size of Baby:  1 1/2 inches- about the size of a prune

Total Weight Gain: 5 lbs- seems like too much but the nurse tells me to eat more!

Maternity Clothes: Not yet.

Gender: Everyone on my side seems to think Baby is a girl. I have no idea!

Sleep: As my belly grows, I'm feeling more and more uncomfortable at night. I just ordered a pregnancy pillow today so hopefully that will help. I get good sleep when I finally am able to drift off, but that usually takes awhile now because I'm usually feeling bad. Then there's the unloading of the bladder every five minutes!

What I miss: Feeling like a person. I feel so bad throughout most of the day that I don't feel productive..EVER. I also miss feeling pretty. I'm still trying to get used to this big belly and I try to remind myself that this is good for the baby and the doctor will tell me if I'm gaining too much!

Cravings: I don't crave much. Typically, nothing sounds good- I just want to eat because I know if I don't, I'll feel even worse.

Symptoms: bloating, nausea, heartburn, and oh-so excited to see Baby

Next Appointment: February 2

What to Expect When You're Expecting says this:

"...The elbows on baby's arms are already working. Tiny buds of baby teeth are forming under the gums. Further down, the stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing larger quantities of urine, and, if your baby's a boy, his testes are producing testosterone..."

I love Kirklands!

Yes,  Austin...you, too but I'm referring to the store one right now. Don't you just love that place? I never got into the home stores much because for the majority of time that I spent living on my own, I was broke. There was no decorating my condo in college because all my money went toward paying bills and food. I just never had fun in those types of places. Now that there's a little room for pretty things, look out! I still enjoy finding the bargain, though. Just this weekend, I bought lots of new goodies for the den area and saved about 300 bucks.

Might I remind you what this couch looked like in Alaska?

Pretty blah (and gross). We finally got the Drifter and Holly hair off the couch and they're no longer allowed on the furniture. Anyway, this couch came with these awful pillows that I can't seem to find a photo of. Trust me, they were wacky. I was looking forward to giving this furniture set a cheap makeover.

Enter den photos.

I also changed up the bedroom a tiny bit with a different pillow, sheets, and a new mirror. This mirror had been $150, I got it for $40 :)

I spent the day finding bargains, thanks to the sale at Kirklands (no one contacted me or will compensate me for writing this review) and I get to come home to this man- preparing dinner for me:

I'm one lucky (and very happy) gal:

the one where Jung was accurate

If you studied psychology at all, you'll probably remember hearing the name Carl Jung. Jung, like most great psychologists (in my opinion), was a real weirdo. One story regarding this man has always stuck with me since my days of memorizing various old, dead guy theories in college:

Carl had a strange relationship with his mother. He often described her and other women as being innately unreliable due to her seemingly normal personality during the day and her eccentric, unpredictable one at night. Later on, he used this early happening in his life to explain why he often mistreated and misunderstood women calling it the "handicap I started off with." (hmf! Men!)

Anyway, I've been remembering the sometimes wise words of ole Carl Jung lately. Innately unreliable? Yep, that's me. I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones, the occasional sickness, or just downright laziness, but I have begun to feel less like a human being and more like a bump on a log. The days of waking up early to fix J breakfast have come to an end. I barely roll out of bed until 9 o'clock now because I fear sitting up without eating something first will cause multiple trips to the bathroom. I'm accustomed to my house being fairly clean, but I just can't seem to stay on top of it. I'm definitely unreliable these days and I'm beginning to feel as if this is how I've been all along.

Second trimester, where are you, friend? I look forward to meeting you. I think my husband is tired of the personality shifts and I know I am. Send help soon!

Love,

unfortunate events and good news

Perhaps I should start writing about unfortunate events in my life more often. The two busiest days on this blog occurred when I told you about the icky hives on my anniversary and the missed doc appointment yesterday. Instead of focusing on the thought that you guys might like to read about my suffering, I'm going to fill up my optimism glass a bit more and say thank you all very much for your concern. Your comments, emails, texts, and messages mean a lot to me. Thanks a bunch!

I got to go in today, but not long enough to hear the baby's heartbeat. We made an appointment in a couple of weeks for that. I was a little disappointed, but I felt better after at least being able to talk to some medical professionals. I was so thankful that they would even see me since it was just a walk-in appointment. They were very understanding about the getting on post fiasco so I didn't feel too awfully bad for wasting their time yesterday as they didn't seem to mind. After tons of questions, being poked and prodded, and all that fun stuff, I was told that I'm further along than I thought! Good. :)

How was your day?

Stupid Day Vlog

1.11.11 -a Phone Update

What's on Mrs. K's phone? Well, I'll show you...

My sister and mother came to Gawga for a visit and we went shopping! We didn't get a single picture, but we did happen to capture a very uncomfortable moment for my sister, Paige in this video-

Family moments may be lacking on my phone, but friend moments sure aren't. Here are some photos from a wonderful evening hanging out with two of my besties during Christmas break-

J calls this my Clint Eastwood sweater

Also during break, I got to meet J's cousin's wife...finally! We took a short trip to the Chattanooga aquarium where we discovered all sorts of neato fish...

That's enough. Oh, and in case you were wondering- Drifter and Holly had a wonderful Christmas, too. (Thanks to all those who remembered our dear dogs this year. Y'all are too sweet!)

Thanks for taking a peek. Want to play along? Head over to The Lowe Family News to link up!