Daybook: I Can't Believe Its Been Five Months Since My Last!

Outside My Window: ...its dark. Its been dark for several hours now and quite honestly that annoys me. Since we live just a few short hours drive west from the Alabama/Georgia border--which is where the time zone changes from Central to Eastern--the sun sets quite early here in the winter...like before 5:00PM! Needless to say, I miss the sunshine and fresh air that we get to enjoy so abundantly during other seasons of the year.

I Am Listening To: ...the gentle hum of the clothes dryer in the next room.

I Am Wearing: ...red and white striped pajama pants and a red long-sleeved tee.

I Am Thankful For: ...the simple things. In particular, sharing an ice cream cone with a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed two-year-old in my life. Sweetness!

I Am Pondering: this wonderful post written by the ever-talented Elizabeth Foss. If you are not familiar with her or her faith-filled writings, please go check this post out now. It will speak volumes to the heart.

I Am Reading: ...The Discipline Book and The Fussy Baby Book, both authored by the Sears. Yes, I know I've been reading those two books for several months now, but if it counts for anything, I'm almost finished with both of them.

To Be Fit And Happy: Oy...I have to be honest that I haven't done much beyond lug babies around. I'm hoping that counts for something because my back says it does!

From The Kitchen: I've been keeping it simple the past several days--lots of soups, salads, etc.

I Am Thinking: ...that weekends go by way too quickly. It seems as though Saturdays and Sundays almost always go by at least twice as quickly as the week days.

I Am Creating: ...a special something as a Christmas present for a special someone. ;-)

On My iPod: Hmmm...I think the most recent thing I've downloaded would be Wow Hits 2011-30 of Today's Top Christian Artist and Hits. Such a lovely, heart-lifting collaboration of music for when I can't listen to my beloved KSBJ...or I get tired of the Christmas music that they play non-stop from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Towards A Real Education: While we ultimately chose not to rush formal homeschooling curricula onto Brinley this fall, she is constantly learning new things. Over the past several weeks she has been recognizing more and more words. I just hope her love for reading is something that she holds onto for the rest of her life.

Towards Rhythm and Beauty: While it seems as though the Advent season slips by us every year, I am really trying to pull the reigns back, slow things down a little bit and savor this blessed season for what it is.

To Live The Liturgy: Focusing on making this Advent season as peaceful as possible for our little domestic church.

I Am Hoping And Praying: ...that the sun will continue to shine.

In The Garden: Well, not a whole lot besides various plants and hedges that can tolerate the cold weather we've been experiencing lately. I've already been making plans in my head for the flower beds once spring comes....which plants need to be replaced, where mulch needs to be added, etc. I'm thinking I need to start putting some of those ideas to paper before they disappear all together!

Around The House: Things have been going fairly smoothly. The only thing I've been finding a struggle to keep up with during this time of year is the laundry. With all the traveling, it seems as though just as I'm getting caught up from one trip, it is time to pack for another. That's okay...I think the time spent visiting with loved ones afar is well worth the sacrifice of having to wear jammies around the house the first day or two after we're home from a trip. ;-)

On Keeping Home: Bruce, Brinley and I finished 'decking our halls' last weekend. We hung icicle lights on the house, edged the walkway and flower beds with bulb lights, put up and decorated the Christmas tree and hung our stockings just in time to celebrate Saint Nicholas's feast day.

One Of My Favorite Things: ...is the sight of a lit Christmas tree. I love it so much that I keep ours on all. the. time. In fact, the only time that it goes off is if we are out of town. Otherwise, its kept on. Even when we go to bed, I like to keep it on all night just for the shear fact that I love walking out of my room into the living room on a chilly winter morning to catch the sight of twinkling lights draped on the boughs of an evergreen (or an artificial one). All I can say is thank goodness we live in the age of LED lights or else our electric bill might be as high as our mortgage payment for the month of December!

Brinley Anne This Week: ... LOVES having the Christmas tree up. Every morning, as soon as she walk from her room to the living room she says "Cwistmish Twee!". She also enjoys looking at the neighbors' outdoor Christmas lights as we drive in and out of the neighborhood.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Aside from having W in our home next week, I need to finish up shopping for one Christmas gift and then I think I'll be done...I think. Then, I'll just need to get started with the wrapping. Normally, I do pretty good and wrap as I buy, but this year I just can't seem to get in the mood to wrap. Oh...I also need to finish crafting that special Christmas gift that I talked about above.

A Picture I'm Sharing: I'm actually sharing two. The first picture is of a cup of cocoa for my sweetie pie...the little one, not the big one. ;-) The second picture is of the previously mentioned sweetie pie enjoying her cocoa. A small cup of cocoa has become somewhat of a mid-afternoon custom on chilly afternoons for Brinley and myself.

~Marshmallow-topped Cocoa~

~Yum!~

Halloween 2010

Although this was Brinley's third Halloween, I can say without a doubt that this was this most celebrated Halloween thus far for our little family. For her first Halloween, back in 2008, she and I were still staying with my parents so that I could help my mother after her major surgery. I dressed her up in a costume and we went to visit a couple of my parents neighbors, but that was pretty much the extent of that. Last year, she wasn't feeling very well--teething, I think--so we just dressed her up and she 'helped' me pass out goodies to the trick-or-treaters.

I think Brinley was too mesmerized by the fire engine to give a hoot about getting candy.

Walking towards the Great Lawn. I love a man that's willing to push a stroller...especially when it has a pink diaper bag hanging from it. ;-)

Brinley was mighty intrigued by this lady's costume...I think she was a cat???

This year, we decided to head out to Bellingrath Gardens on Saturday for their annual Balloon Glow in the Gardens. At the Balloon Glow in the Gardens, the little ones are encouraged to come dressed in their costumes and area business set up to pass out candy along the path through the gardens. On the Great Yard at Bellingrath, hot-air balloons are set up and 'glowing', thus the name Balloon Glow in the Gardens, and further up the path near the Bellingrath mansion, The Shed (a local bar-b-que restaurant) was set up selling their scrumptious bar-b-que. After walking along the path through the gardens, grabbing some brisket sandwiches for supper, and then taking a few minutes to watch the hot-air balloons 'glow', Brinley was ready to call it a night. Needless to say, she must have had a lot of fun because the girl slept soundly until ten o'clock the next morning.

By this point, I think the trick-or-treating experience was losing it's 'cool' factor in Brinley's opinion.

'Glowing' Balloon

This evening, we dressed Brinley in her costume again and hit up a few of the houses on our street and the next with some of our neighbors including Baby W (that I care for in our home during the week) and his parents. Overall, I think Brinley had a good time again. She really has 'trick-or-treat' down and saying 'thank you' after receiving her treat. Both nights, the weather was absolutely beautiful including clear skies and temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50's, and overall, I really don't think we could have had a better weekend.

~There's no place like home.~

We had a bag on the front porch that was motion activated and it said "Happy Halloween" in a witch's voices. When Brinley first heard it she said, "A chicken!"...I think she confused the cackling for clucking.

Where's the jack-o-lantern's nose?

We hope you all had a wonderful Happy Halloween, and I hope you enjoy the pictures of our little 'Dorothy'.

Still trying to figure out that bag...

"Cheese!" (We've been practicing smiling for the camera.)

"Trick-or-Treat!" Picking out which goodies she wants from Baby W--the pumpkin--and his mommy.

~Best Buddies~

When the festivities were all over with, the two little ones loved going through all the goodies they accumulated and those that were left over. Who says you have to eat candy to enjoy it?!?

Gammaw and Pappaw Come For A Visit

Last weekend, Bruce's parents made a quick trip to come and visit us. The guys--Bruce and his dad--did a few odd and end jobs around the house including replacing the weather-stripping and hinges on the back door that leads to our patio, rebuilding the single gate on our privacy fence so that it could become usable, and adding latches to both the single gate and double gate on our privacy fence. Like I mentioned, it was a short visit so only a handful or so pictures were taken. Here's a few to enjoy...

Helping Daddy pull the old weather-stripping off the back door.

Watching Gammaw roll out the clay.

Using molds to make different animals and shapes.

Showing Gammaw how we play with clay.

~A Simple Moment~

Bruce and his dad getting boards measured and cut for the 'new' gate.

Bruce hanging the new boards on the single gate.

Just A Few More...

Tonight I was on the phone telling my Mom to be sure and check her e-mail because I posted a blog post with pictures from our trip to Bellingrath. Of course her reply was, "Well how many pictures did you post? You didn't post just pictures from the Gardens, did you?" So...to better appease my mother, I've decided to make a second post with a few pictures that were taken while life was going on around the house. Enjoy! Oh, and Mom, when I have to upgrade my blog because I've used up my photo allowance on this basic level, I'll send you the bill. ;-)

Nana reading to Brinley...and Bruce.

Brinley showing Papa how to put together The Very Hungry Caterpillar puzzle.

Brinley and Papa playing with 'clay'. (Its really closer to Play Dough, but she calls it clay.)

Papa showing Brinley how to push the molds down and wiggle them slightly into the 'clay' to get the best shapes.

Papa and Brinley going over the animals and shapes that they have created.

~Brinley and Nana~

Birthday Weekend

So as most of you know, last Saturday was my birthday and to help celebrate I was given one of the best gifts of all--a long weekend visit from my parents. Mom and Dad arrived on Thursday after their long, 10-hour drive. That evening we visited, dined over a meal of homemade Chicken Spaghetti (Thanks, Mom!) and Garlic Bread, went for a short walk after dinner and basically just enjoyed each others' company.

On Friday, we decided to head over to Bellingrath Gardens and Home here in the Mobile area. For those that aren't familiar with this property, Bellingrath contains 65 acres of various gardens, a 10,500 square foot mansion, a lake, a conservatory, an observatory, a chapel and much more. Bellingrath was actually built by Mr. Walter Bellingrath, President of Mobile's Coca Cola Bottling Plant back in the 1930's. As you can imagine, touring the gardens themselves is an all afternoon event....especially when you have a two-year old in-tow that wants to to stop and smell every flower along the path. Luckily, we were blessed with absolutely beautiful weather last weekend--70s during the day and 50s at night. That evening we dined at home on steaks, baked potatoes and salad...yum!

On Saturday, Bruce, Dad and Brinley piddled around the house while Mom and I had a little 'girl time' and visited a few shops in town. That evening, Bruce and Dad cooked Fish, Shrimp and Oysters in the deep fryer on the back pation while Mom and I put together a coleslaw. For dessert, in honor of my birthday, we had cheesecake.

On Sunday, since Mom and I ran out of time for shopping the previous day because of needing to get back to the house to cook, we headed back out in search of a sewing machine. On their first day here, Mom asked me to think about what I wanted for my birthday and I knew I wanted a sewing machine and for her to show me how to get started with it. After taking a quick look at Target's selection, we drove further in town to JoAnn's and found a lovely Singer that should get me started. After spending a bit of time picking out the machine, scissors, thread, bobbins, etc. we came home and threw together a quick dinner of cheese enchiladas, tamales, and spanish rice. After dinner I was eager to pull my sewing machine out of the box and get as much time in with mom showing me the ropes. (On a side note, I've been forgetting to mention this to my mom as I've talked to her this week, but on Monday I mended two pairs of Bruce's dress slacks that needed new hems. For a beginner, I think I did a pretty darn good job.)

Mom and Dad left as the sun was coming up early Monday morning. The day that they leave is always a bit difficult. Seeing certain things seem to sting as they catch my eye--the coffee maker sitting on the counter, used towels hanging in the guest bath, empty coffee mugs sitting in the kitchen sink, a toy left accidentally left behind by their dog, Maggie. After so many visits over the past few years that I've lived out of Texas, I'm used to seeing these things and sort of expect to find them. One thing that I didn't expect was Brinley's reaction to their departure. When she woke up and ate her breakfast, I don't think she really noticed or hit her that Nana and Papa were gone. It wasn't until I let her down from her booster seat after breakfast that she saw the empty air mattress and said "Nana and Papa?" I told her that Nana and Papa had left early in the morning while she was sleeping before the sun had even finished coming up, and that they had to get back to Texas so that they could go back to work the next day. She looked in the corner of the room where Maggies's bed had been almost as a way to verify that they were gone and then went on with her day playing.

Overall, we had a wonderful weekend together and we look forward to seeing each other again over the holiday season.

Here are a few more pictures from our day at Bellingrath...

...and a few more pictures from Bellingrath...

Wow That Was A Long Break!

Since its been almost a month since my last post, I'm sure all 8 of my regular readers are wondering what we've been up to during this time. Well, I guess I should begin by telling you that for the past several years, I've wanted to refinish our kitchen table. You see, the table that we've been using is actually my first table that my parents bought me for my first apartment right before my first year of college. (Wow that's a lot of 'firsts'.) Anyway, most of you that have been in our home at one point or another know that it had cream-painted metal legs and a light wood top. Since all of our furniture is dark as well as the kitchen cabinetry in our home, I've been wanting to refinish the table top to blend in more with the other pieces. So, a few weeks ago, Bruce, Brinley and I set out to Lowe's to by sandpaper, stain, clear-coat, vinyl gloves, brushes, etc. to get my little project done.

After a couple of weeks of sanding, varnishing, and clear-coating (hmmm...don't think that's a word) nearly every evening, I am pleased to say that it is finally finished and we have a kitchen table to eat our meals at again. Being my first refinishing job its not perfect--the varnish turned out a little lighter in a few spots and the last coat of clear-coat has tiny bubbles in some areas--but overall, Bruce and I agree that it looks much better than it did and I LOVE how the dark finish seems to tie things together in the kitchen and dining area.

On another note, we've also had a little visitor around our home. A few weeks ago, a stray dog started hanging out in our front lawn. To Bruce and I, it looked as though she had puppies within the past 3-4 months so I hated the thought of not giving her food and water. (As someone that spent 20 months nursing a little one, I know that when you're nursing you're almost hungry enough to eat a horse.) So, after a few days of just letting her hang out on the front porch, we (and when I say we, I'm saying that rather loosely and really mean 'I') moved her to the backyard. I didn't want a sweet, well-behaved dog like her to fall into the wrong hands so she was put into the back while I could find another place for her. Well, fast forward two weeks to this past Saturday, Brinley and I were finishing up dinner (Bruce was having to work) and while Brinley is occupied at the table, I step out on the back porch to give the stray some dog food. I stepped back into the house to rinse out and refill her water dish and when I step back out on the back patio I immediately noticed that the stray wasn't eating. This was highly unusual for her because any other meal she had been given she would practically inhale. It wasn't five seconds later and I realize that there is something coming out of her...yes, as in a puppy! I peek through the window to make sure that Brinley is still occupied at the table in her booster seat and I quickly grab one of the towels that the dog had been using as bedding to help catch the puppy.

Puppy #1, a male born at approximately 7:30PM.

Soon after I made sure the puppy was okay and the momma dog cleaned up most of the mess, Bruce arrived home. It was one of those evenings that I really had to make a grocery run so I went to SuperTarget and when I got home that evening I found a second puppy. Thankfully, that is all that the momma dog had and both puppies and Momma dog are doing well.

Puppy #2, a female born at approximately 8PM.

...And the proud momma dog.

Now that fall is officially here, the weather has been a little more bearable than it was in the middle of summer. Our high's are still in the lower 90's and our low's at night are still in the low 70's. Rain has been sparse the past several weeks and we've been having to water the lawn to keep it somewhat green. However, within the next few days things are supposed to cool off a tad and our highs are expected to be in the mid 80's and our low's in the low 60's. Woohoo! I think if I could have one birthday wish (hint, hint) it would be to have beautiful fall-like weather the weekend of my birthday. I guess we'll have to wait and see how things pan out. :-)