Inner Geek

Brian and I watch the show King of the Nerds on TBS.  It’s the only reality TV show I will watch.  Our favorite from this season was Mary Kate.  Sadly she got kicked off pretty quickly.  We got a surprise and a treat at the Craft Brew Festival when Brian spotted Mary Kate!  We had no idea she was from Mississippi, much less a grad student at State.  We totally geeked out and talked to her!  Not only were we thrilled, I think we made her feel great too by recognizing her.  She was so sweet and let us talk her ear off and ask all types of questions about the show.

Got Milk?

I typically do not post things which are controversial due to I truly am a people pleaser.  But yesterday I was appalled at some of the comments some “friends” of mine made and others made on a subject.  It is also a topic that has come up in the news recently as well

Before I jump in on what my feelings are on this let me please say, I’m sure several people who read this won’t agree with me and that’s fine.  I’m not here to hurt people’s feelings, put down their personal choices, or try to make you see my opinion.  But this is my little space where I can voice how I feel and I told myself I was going to start doing that more here. Keep in mind, I welcome feed back, but will not tolerate ugliness.

The topic: Breast feeding. Moreover; breast feeding in public.

The issue:  Yesterday I had a friend post on Facebook the following:  “I had NO CLUE people were so freaked out about breastfeeding!?!  It literally blows my mind.  Though it shouldn’t come as a surprise that formula-fed idiots are IDIOTS since breastfed babies are smarter"!”

My stance:  I’m pro breast milk.  That’s right, I didn’t say nursing or breast feeding, I said breast milk.  I firmly believe that breast milk is better for a baby, but I also firmly believe in the FDA in that if formula was not safe and good for a baby it would not be around. 

Before those of your start to yell at me through your device, I have a 19 month old daughter who I did all of the above with.  I nursed/breast fed, pumped and bottled fed breast milk, and gave her formula.  So yes, I do have some experience on the subject. 

I HATED nursing!  Does this make me a bad mother or woman; NO! It took too much time, it was frustrating, it was stressful, my daughter spit up more, it hurt, it wasn’t fun, and I personally didn’t feel like I got any better bonding than if I hadn’t nursed.  Add in that I never knew how much my daughter was getting to drink into that mixture.  After 6 weeks of that, I decided screw this I’m pumping and giving a bottle.  She was already taking a bottle at her bedtime feeding and anytime we were out so she didn’t care.  This made our life 100% more enjoyable.  I was less stressed, I could do more during the day (i.e. go out without being stressed about having to stop and nurse her somewhere in public), and I knew how much she was getting at each feeding time.  Plus this allowed her daddy to bond with her during a feeding time.  Yep I said it. 

Before I started back to work, my supply started to decrease some too.  It was mainly due to I went back on the pill after y 6 weeks check up.  I was one of those women who are affected by the pill and still trying to provide breast milk.  I knew this, but guess what I was selfish.  Go ahead and yell at me how I should have put my child first.  Sorry, but my fear of getting pregnant again quickly outweigh that.  So I did what any smart, good mother would do, I supplemented with formula.  My daughter didn’t noticed a difference.  It actually helped more with her spitting up too.  She was getting both breast milk and formula. 

After being back at work I continue to pump, but it was getting to the point where it wasn’t worth the time it took due to the amount I was producing.  So I stopped.  Did I feel guilt, sure only because that what others make you feel like.  Did I really feel that way, no but I still couldn’t stop myself from thinking it.  Did my daughter suffer any, of course not!  Am I a horrible mother for stopping, no way!  Am an any less of a woman for not being able to provide breast milk for my daughter until she was at least a year old, NO! 

Sadly other women, and some men who I still can’t figure out how they think they have a right to talk, make you feel like complete utter crap for not nursing your child until they are 5 years old.  Shouldn’t we be supporting each other on the job we were able to do if we were able to provide breast milk for our baby? Instead we talk badly about those who choose not to nurse/pump and go straight to formula. We talk badly about those who don’t but little do we know they were unable to but wanted to and feel horrible about themselves.  We talk badly about those who pump and to not nurse.  I won’t even get into how husband or men who have NEVER experience nursing want to make their wives feel bad for either not doing it or wanting to stop.  When my husband can produce milk and nurse a baby from his nibbles he can tell me when I can and cannot stop nursing/pumping.   Sorry men, but this is not something you can make a decision on. 

Now, let’s get into what the friend’s post really meant.  I won’t even address the fact he tried to say that formula made people dumb.  It was talking about breast feeding in public.  Yet like most they are unable to separate this act verse the act of nursing period. The most public I ever got to nursing my daughter was in the nursery at the church building.  Even then I felt so uncomfortable.  I am a very modest person and even though I was the only one in there I was so scared of someone walking in.  I was covered up, but I still was not comfortable.  My stance on publicly nursing your child is if you have to do so be it, but do it discreetly where no one can tell what you are doing.  A group of women going to a mall and sitting in the play area and all at the same time nursing your child is not discreetly.  That type of action is doing it to draw attention to what you are doing, not feeding your child for the need of their hunger.

When I was actually nursing, I planned my outings well.  I either left right after she was done (we were both ready to go when we started and left right after) or I had a bottle ready in case she needed it.  I knew how much time there was before she needed to eat again, so I either got everything done in that time period or I had a bottle ready to give her if needed.  I personally do not understand why these women felt the need to do what they did.  The time they did this was a nationwide one minute public nursing session.  Yeah tell me how that is discreet??? 

It breaks my heart when I see other women putting down women for not nursing as long as they did.  Who says there is a set amount of time you have to do it?  Some women are just not able to do it for long periods of time and there is NOTHING wrong with that.  We should be praising them for the amount of time they were able to do it!  Even before having a child, I was always very careful about what I said to women who had a baby.  I never assumed that they were breast feeding or not.  I never put down formula verse breast milk.  My reason for this was I might not know their personal story.  I know how I felt when people found out I was giving my daughter formula.  I never want another woman to feel that way. 

In the end all I want to try to get across is you never know what the story is.  A woman might have tried and tried to nurse, but her milk might not have come in or the baby might not never latched correctly.  Your words could bring back all those emotions and disappointment she might feel in herself.  That bottle you see her feeding her child might be breast milk for all you know.  Do not assume that just because she is not nursing in public doesn’t mean she is not providing breast milk. 

Favorite Songs & Movies

I am finally getting around to doing this after Lisa tagged me weeks ago.  Like her, I do not sit around thinking about this near as much as Sage does!

Movies:

1.  The Princess Bride—What’s not to love; comedy, romance, action all in one. If you have not read the book READ IT NOW!

2.  The Empire Strikes Back—personal favorite of all the original ones

3.   When Harry Met Sally—priceless

4.  Bedknobs & Broomsticks—I do believed I watched this twice a day during the summer time as a kid.

5.  The NeverEnding Story—I always wanted to rent this every time we went to the movie store.

Songs; no order just as they came to mind.

1.  Two – Ryan Adams
2.  Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard –Ryan Adams
3.  Hallelujah –Jeff Buckley
4.  She Talks to Angels– The Black Crowes
5.  Head Full of Doubt/ Road Full of Promise—The Avett Brothers
5.  I’ll Follow You Into the Dark—Death Cab
6.  Lived in Bars—Cat Power
7.  This Tornado Loves You—Neko Case
8.  Outfit—Drive By Truckers
9.  Blue—The Jayhawks
10.  A Shot in the Arm—Wilco

 

Songs were easier to do than movies.

I’m tagging:

Allie

Madeline

I am a Rebel.

See if you see someone you know.

Self Help

Disclaimer:  The following post is just for me to get my thoughts out.  I am no way looking for pity on any level. 

Over the past few months, I have begun to realize how I need to get my life back in order.  While I do an OK job being a full time mom and a full time worker, I’m still lacking in several areas.  I see myself letting so much slip by me at home.  I hate the feeling that I’m always not getting something done or forgetting something.  I love to organize things, but can’t seem to get it all together lately.  I’m sure most people will think I’m just complaining about life, but I honestly feel like I need to get it together better. 

I know majority of this I can quickly fix, but it’s making myself do it is the hard part right now.  Right now here is a quick run down of my day during the week.

5:00am-6:00am—Wake up, get ready, prepare bottles for Zoey if I did not do this the night before, any little things that come to mind to do
6:00am-6:20am—Wake Zoey up and feed her.
6:20am-6:30am—Dress Zoey for the day.
6:30am-7:00am—Play with Zoey before leaving for the day and finish getting ready.
7:00/7:15am-7:45/8:00am—Commute
8:00am-4:00pm—8 hour work day
4:00pm-4:45pm—Commute home
4:45/4:50pm—Pick up Zoey from Mrs. Hudson’s
5:00pm-5:30pm—Feed Zoey dinner
5:30pm-6:30pm—Cook dinner
6:30pm-7:00pm—Play with Zoey until she get sleepy.
7:00pm –8:30pm—This varies depending on who lays down with Zoey for the evening.  If I do, this time is spent cuddling with her and nothing else. (Watching TV or reading might occur).  If Brian lays down with her, I do a multiple of things, laundry (not as diligently as I should), knitting, crafting, cleaning up things, nothing, etc. 
8:30pm-9:00pm—Get Zoey ready for bed, fix last bottle of the day, fix bottles for the next day, lay out sleeping bag (we have now changed the name to be sleeping bag instead of straight jacket since we no longer swaddle Zoey at night), wash paci/lay it out, any last minute chores.  Brian feeds her at this feeding and puts her to bed. 
9:00pm—Get ready for bed
9:15/9:30pm-10:00pm—Get in bed and read or watch TV, then sleep.

I have no problem seeing where I need to utilize to my best my time.  It is a matter of me getting up off my lazy butt and doing it.   It’s that time during where Zoey takes her evening nap. (Yes, at some point we will put her to be around 7-7:30, but right now this is part of the time we get to spend with her during the day.  I have been thinking about this a lot but it just hard for me to do that since we don’t get to spend time with her during the day.)  I honestly should never sit down to do nothing until everything on my to-do list is done regardless of how tired I might be that day.  I honestly probably need to stay up later too, but that would require me not going to be when B does and that’s something he prefers. 

I have started going back to doing individual to-do list for each day instead of a long running one to be completed whenever.  I did this back in college and some afterwards and it helped me get everything I need/want to completed in a timely manner.  At one point before B and I got married, I even had the to-do list broken down by the times to do things.  This was defiantly the best help, but I’m not there just yet to go back to it.

I also see a need for me to try to get back into journaling.  While I haven’t done this since probably when B and I started dating, I see a need for it to get things off my chest and mind.  While I know I can “journal” some about what is on my mind on here, there are some things that are private and need to be put down on paper to help me cope.  Hopefully this week I can find time to pick up a new journal. 

Once I get to feeling better about this, I hope I can start adding in new goals for each week and finding more time for things. 

Halfway there!

Every time I sit down to write something, nothing really comes to my mind.  I hate to always post about pregnancy or whatever, but honestly that’s all I’m doing right now. 

In the next couple of weeks, I hope to be able to make it to Premier and pick out the fabric for the bedding. I already know that there will be WAY too many options for me to choose from and I hope I stick with my color scheme.  At times I really want to get the nursery all set up and done, but other times I’m just not ready yet.  Don’t ask me why.  I think mainly due to if I start on it, I’m going to have a hard time waiting to see what we get as gifts and not run out and buy everything. 

I’m trying really hard not to buy too much right now.  I have bought a few clothing items that have been on sale for later on next year.  Speaking of which, I do believe smocked dresses will be my weakness.  I bought 3 today from Zulily.  Aren’t they cute!! They are all for Zoey after 6 months.  I’m in love with Bishop dresses!  I really need to learn to smock myself or get my Mom and Sister busy making me some. 

Source: zulily.com via Leah on Pinterest

On the pregnancy front, I’m now 21 weeks.  Over halfway there; crazy.  It seems like time is crawling by.  Some months it feels like it is going quickly while others not so much.  As far as I can tell, I have not felt her kick yet.  It is amazing how many people think this is horrible that you haven’t felt it yet.  I guess some do not realize that not everyone does feel the baby kick or it might be later for some. 

Speaking of things that are now getting annoying to hear, I do have a list now.  Yes, I realize that these things won’t stop until after I am no longer pregnant, but hey, I get to vent.

1.  Anytime someone asks, “When are you due?” and I respond December 27th; “Oh! A Christmas baby!”  I’m sorry but if I hear that one more time, I think I might scream!!  Yes, people I realize this you don’t have to tell me.

2. When people find out I’m 5 months along and say “Oh, you’re not showing much at all. You really need to eat more.”  Thank you for your friendly advice, but I am eating; I’m just not being gluttonous.  I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full.  I even eat things that I “crave”.  Dr. Hudson says my weight looks great, so there. (On that note, I’m still the same; no gain since losing the weight in the first few months.)  I know that come the next few months I will gain some.  So what if I don’t gain 40+ pounds like many people do.  Don’t most know you are suppose to gain the max of 30 pounds depending on what you weigh before getting pregnant. 

3. “Have you felt her kick yet?  No.  What? Are you sure?”  Sigh. As far as I can tell no, I have not felt any kicking yet.  No, I haven’t felt anything that felt like “gas” either so I’m not thinking that it’s just that either.

4.  When people come up and touch my stomach.  I am trying really hard to avoid this from happening.  I typically back away when someone attempts to or if they are a good friend I just tell them I don’t like it.  I’m sorry, but it freaks me out.  I just now (like literal yesterday) allow Brian to touch it.  If I won’t let my own husband do it, you can’t either random person. 

5.  “Have you had any weird cravings?  No.  Really?”  I didn’t realize that it was a must to have some crazy, odd cravings.  When I want something, I typically do eat it.  But nothing odd.

Other than that, things are good.  Only thing I wish would change is sleep.  I am so used to sleeping through the night and not moving at all.  Brian always is amazed that I go to sleep and just sleep.  Most nights I would wake up in the same position I went to sleep (on my back).  Lately though, not so much.  I just cannot get comfortable, at all.  For a funny post that is not identical to my nights, but VERY similar read Sage’s post.  It really sucks not being able to get comfortable.  I would be ok with waking up here and there if that was the case.  Most of the time when I wake up I cannot go back to sleep so I toss and turn. Then I see Brian sleeping soundly (for him, he is a light sleeper) and really have a hard time not waking him up.  I think that if I have to suffer, he should too. But alas, I’m a good wife and let him sleep. 

Snake!

A couple of weeks ago, a snake crawled up into my car.  Everything would have been fine, if Charles had not decided to aggravate the snake.  Thankfully one of my co-workers managed to get it all on video!

Enjoy!

Mayday, Mayday

Wow.  I can honestly say I have no idea where April went.  Last thing I knew it was our anniversary back in the first part of April and now it’s middle of May!!!!

I hope my very few readers haven’t given up on me due to my lack of posting.  Things just have been crazy or I have been lazy.  Take your pick!

Now as I sit down to blog, I have no idea what to blog about.  I had all these ideas here and there, and then I was just too lazy to sit down and put them down.  I promise to get better in the upcoming weeks. 

This weekend we are heading to my parents’ to celebrate my Dad FINALLY retiring!!  After 45 years of working for the same company (well sort of if you count starting with South Central Bell and ending with AT&T), he finally decided it was time to rest.  I don’t think it really has sunk in with him, but he seems to be enjoying it so far. I have a feeling they will be coming to visit us more now that he is retired; which won’t be bad if I can put him to work some. 

Up next will be a fun adventure of Brian and Sunni!

Olive Bea

I started a post yesterday about the wonderful weekend we had, but did not get around to finishing it.  I had good intentions to finish it last night, but never got around. Maybe tonight.

I do want to share with you all a wonderful little blog I stumbled across last week.  Olive Bea.  Here a girl, Emma, chronicles her journey across the country from CA to MA. I started reading it when the Journal posted a link from twitter about a write up of Tupelo.  Emma stopped in Tupelo on her way up north and jotted down her time here.  I was intrigued with her adventure and went back and read it from the beginning.  There have been times when I wish I had the guts to do what she is doing.  Drive across country with no plan in site but the destination.  How fun would it be just to drive and stop whenever you wanted with no time line.  Maybe one day. 

Oxford and Gardening

Saturday morning, Brian and I headed to Oxford for the day. We have been wanting to do this for awhile but just never found the time. We started out by having break at BBB. We got there around 9:15 so we couldn’t take advantage of the SnackBar being open to order a mimosas or blood Mary. I’m not a big fan of eggs unless they are in an omelet for breakfast, I was trying to decide between just ordering sides or getting the French toast. I’m a sucker for the traditional breakfast; sausage, grits, biscuits & gravy, and hash browns. One of these days I’m going to try their French toast. I have heard it’s delicious.

After breakfast we went in the Depot just to look around. I came across this little jewel. It’s perfect for us! We haven’t decide where to put it yet, but I love it.

Next we headed to the Square to do some window shopping and see where the day lead us. We weren’t hungry for lunch yet, but we didn’t want to pass up lunch in Oxford if we did get hungry. So we headed to Larry’s to see if we could grab a seat on the patio for a few drinks. I found my new spring love; Abita Strawberry. If you have not tried this yet, drop what you are doing and head to the store to see if you can find some. Tupelo is now sold out of it. :(

Sunday afternoon I decided I couldn’t wait any longer for my herb seeds to really spout. I headed to Lowes to see what I could find in department of herb plants. Here is the first herb garden.

Clockwise: rosemary, tarragon, oregano, cilantro, parsley, basil.

I decided to put mint in is own container since it tends to take over. Mojitos!

I also have a cherry tomato plant.

Which I forgot to take a picture of, but it’s doing really well.

And a couple of jalapenos. (Please do not look at all the little weeds growing on the patio. We need to pull them up.)

At times I wish I had a sunny spot in the backyard for a true garden. I love my shady yard, but it would be nice not to have to do container gardening. Although I have gotten pretty good at it over the years since I have been doing it.

I hope they do ok while we are gone for the week. I’m going to see if Alicia will water them if they look like they need them while she is feeding Sunni. I’m hoping it rains some while we are gone, my poor yard needs it. I’m still waiting to see which seeds took and are spouting up. I have another whiskey barrel that I will use for those that make it. I still have a lavender plant that needs a home, but I had to put it alone and nor do I want to put it in the whiskey barrel alone. Depending on which seeds do not grow I’m going to be hunting for a few more herbs that I wanted to grow this year.

Happy gardening!

Numbers

18. Days till our first anniversary.
24. Days till I’m laying on the beach soaking up the sun.
10741. Records I am currently updating by hand.
1. How many books on my list for March I actually read.
2. Miles I ran this morning.
1. Times I have been called for jury duty.
36. Hours I wish were in one day.
38. Items on my to-do list that need to be done by Sunday.
0. Easter gifts/baskets I have picked up for Brian and me.
20. Times I have listened to Hallelujah by k.d. lang this week.
6. Days I had to go back and think of what I worked on to enter my time.
45. Minutes left of this bad day.
90. Percentage of wishing I’m doing to either “have” to take off or work from home tomorrow.

Small things

Yesterday I came across an article that listed 101 small pleasure you can enjoy every day. Just about everything on the list makes me smile when I read it thinking about how it brings happiness and pleasure to me. Hope it brings a smile to your face as well!!

1. coloring (yes, grown-ups can do it, too)
2. crisp cotton sheets
3. soft skin
4. old family recipes
5. the first daffodils of spring
6. sleeping in
7. an exercise endorphin high
8. window boxes
9. a perfect cup of coffee
10. a genuine compliment (giving or receiving)
11. the way babies smell
12. a handwritten letter
13. waking up in a good mood...for no real reason
14. singing in the shower
15. finding a couple forgotten dollars in your pocket
16. doing something nice for your neighbor
17. a home cooked meal
18. laughing
19. movie theater popcorn
20. playing hookey
21. a bubble bath
22. swimming
23. an afternoon nap
24. street musicians
25. your favorite song
26. saying thank you
27. helping someone in need
28. old fashioned photo booths
29. fresh whipped cream
30. inspiring blogs
31. a glass of wine
32. rainy afternoons
33. the funny things kids say
34. a novel you can get lost in
35. finding the perfect piece of clothing...on sale
36. clean laundry
37. the wind in your hair
38. treating the person behind you at the drive-thru
39. sharing an umbrella
40. the smell of lavender
41. a long walk that clears your head
42. a bear hug
43. The Beatles
44. smiling at a stranger
45. eating with chopsticks (Chinese food optional)
46. butterflies
47. staying in your pj's all day
48. singing along to the radio and knowing all the words
49. fresh herbs
50. ordering in pizza
51. happy endings...even if they're fictional
52. flying a kite
53. puppies
54. root beer floats
55. holding open the door...
56. ...or having someone hold the door for you
57. fountain soda
58. white, fluffy towels
59. sunshine
60. spending an afternoon at a museum
61. really great advice
62. green lights all the way home
63. the sound of rain hitting the windows
64. sitting in a booth
65. holding hands
66. a great hair day with no effort
67. building a fort with your kids
68. when someone falls asleep with their head on your shoulder
69. fireflies
70. the perfect taco
71. geraniums on a windowsill
72. slow dancing
73. the smell of fresh-baked bread
74. cheesy, uplifting musicals
75. great stories
76. the smell of gasoline
77. the cold side of the pillow
78. love letters
79. old friends...
80. ...new friends
81. a pull-through parking space
82. a baguette -- crisp on the outside, airy on the inside
83. when a dog licks your hand
84. sitting at the counter at an old-fashioned diner
85. using your favorite dishes
86. reading your child a bedtime story
87. Girl Scout Cookies
88. flossing
89. kissing someone you love
90. the smell of onions and garlic cooking
91. hot chocolate
92. jumping in puddles
93. old photographs
94. birds hopping on the sidewalk
95. Ella Fitzgerald
96. a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar
97. your softest t-shirt
98. a new magazine in the mail
99. fireplaces
100. having exact change
101. bacon and pancakes cooking on Saturday morning

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy Birthday Allie!!

There hasn’t been anything truly exciting going on in the Herndon household the past week. We took the past weekend and made it a lazy weekend. We laid in bed most of the morning, except for when we went to get azaleas, and had lunch at the Stables with Chad, Allie, Lauren C, Cole, and Megan. It’s getting to be a habit of going to the Stables for brunch and mimosas/bloody maries. It was great getting to catch up with everyone. Brian has decided to pick up painting again. He took art in school and was pretty good from what I have seen. We bought some supplies a little bit ago and he picked up the brush Saturday afternoon. He did a beautiful painting, but he didn’t feel it was worthy (in his eyes) so he painted over it. I am so proud of him getting into the paint again. After a few practice painting I know he will be back into the swing of things. Here is his painting from this weekend. I didn’t do a very good job of taking a picture of it.

Good thing we had low-key, relaxing weekend because we will be on the run this weekend! Friday night we are headed over to the Russells’ for dinner and game night. I do love a good game night, just seems like we never have time for one on a regular basis. Saturday I (we) are helping host a couple’s baby shower for Curt and Ashley. I should do a better job at managing my time at night this week and make the card for Ashley’s blanket one night instead of waiting till the last minute on Saturday morning while I’m making 2 dozen cupcakes for the shower. :)

We thought we were getting our new windows installed this week, but we miscalculated the timeline. It will be about another 2 weeks before they are installed. I cannot wait!! Funny how as you get older you get excited about different things than you did when you were younger. Who knew new windows would be so exciting.

I haven’t mentioned a new recipe in awhile. Last night I made a Spring Orzo Salad. Oh my. This is one of the best salads I have had in a long time. I cannot take credit for finding this one, Chris passed it along. I was a little leery of it based on the “dressing” but wow, this is full of flavor. Brian was a huge fan of it as well.

Spring Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

2/3 cup orzo

1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped orange bell pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped and seeded tomatoes

1/4 cup quartered dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup chopped watercress

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil, preferably extra virgin

1/3 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Prepare the orzo according to the package directions
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the bell peppers, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, watercress, garlic, oil, cheese, and lemon juice.
3. Mix the orzo with the vegetable mixture until well combined. Season to taste with black pepper.

Note: I didn’t put the tomatoes in it due to the cherry tomatoes I had were no longer good. Also I’m not a fan of watercress so I left those out as well and I put green onions in place of scallions since I couldn’t find any at the store.

I leave you with a picture of what Sunni does most nights. He will sit and stare at Brian until he makes room for him to sit next to him. Regardless if there is a whole side of the couch next to me (if Brian is in the chair) or plenty of room between us on the couch instead of the small spot between Brian and the end of the couch.

Saturdays, Books, Leaves

Happy Saturday!  My sweet husband just feed me breakfast and coffee in bed.  I love Saturday mornings when he makes breakfast.  Today is suppose to be a pretty day, mostly sunshine with the high of low 50s.  I’m actually looking forward to getting outside in a little while to rake.  Yesterday we sat on the patio for a little happy hour and it just got to me. (I cannot wait till Spring when we can come home and have happy hour on the patio.  One of my favorite things to do in the Spring and Summer.)  I did not like looking a yard, flower beds, etc covered in leaves.  Plus it will be a good work out  for us. 

I have a new goal.

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a obsession love for books.  In my old house I had stacks everywhere I could put them.  I ran out of room on the small bookcase I had, I put them under my nightstands, in stacks under the end tables, as decor on the mantel, and anywhere else I could find.  As it is now I am running out of room on the bookcase we have now.  Each year for my birthday my  parents would give me a gift card to Square Books or another bookstore.  I would plan which books and how many I could get with the gift card.  This resulted in me having many stacks of books that I have yet to read.  For the rest of the year I’m going to set a goal for each month to read a list of books.  Beginning with March (oh my!  Can you believe it’s already March!  Where does the time go?  It feels like yesterday was Christmas and I was taking all the decorations down.) I plan to post my list here each first of the month.

March:
Love in the Time of Cholera (already in progress)
Living Dead in Dallas (already in progress)
Sharp Objects (already in progress)
Mere Christianity
Lamb

Last night we headed up to Baldwyn for dinner at Pizza Factory. (If you are ever in town and craving pizza, this is the place to go.  It honestly is the best pizza in this area.) We had a low key night with a movie at home, Couples Retreat.  We ended up not finishing it due to us both being tired, but so far it’s good. 

Rain and more rain

Sigh, it's raining again. I'm thankful for the rain, but I really want to have the sunshine. I have too many projects that I'm ready to do that need to be done outside.
I'm enjoying the cooler weather, but wish it was just a tad colder. I finally found a new coat that I love. I told myself this year that I was not going to wait around and see if it went on sale I would just buy it when I found it. We went yesterday to the store to get it but did not have my size, so now it's in the process of being shipped! Now if the cold weather would get here so I could wear it.