First, can I say that I rented the movie "Waitress" last night and cannot get it off my mind?!  LOL  I have already been surfing recipezaar, looking for pie recipes! 

I thought I would update, a little at a time, what has been going on in my life for the past couple of months.  I will start with one of the most recent (the "sad" part of my previous post) events:  a miscarriage.  On November 2, I was 6 weeks pregnant and went for my first doctor visit and ultrasound.  I was shocked to see the gestational sack on the screen, but no sign of a heartbeat.  It felt so surreal--I have had numerous ultrasounds with previous pregnancies and just expect, I suppose, to see and hear the heartbeat.  My doctor was hopeful for us~he was optimistic about my dates being wrong (although, I just knew my dates were correct...).  I went in for a series of bloodwork; my HCG levels were rising, but not doubling.  This created such confusion for me--from the moment I realized there was no heartbeat, I knew I would miscarry, but why were the numbers rising at all?  It made for a long and emotional journey.  Every day, I was anticipating the miscarriage, waiting for it to begin, while also harboring the smallest hope that I was wrong.

Something that I learned through this is that the HCG levels in a woman's body have to lower to a certain number before her body recognizes that it has miscarried.  For me, it took about 15 days for my body to recognize my loss--and I'm sure that my rising (while not doubling) numbers had something to do with the length of time.  I wish I had realized that from the beginning~I think it would have saved me from a lot of disillusionment...

I think I am doing okay.  I am an optimist and I do not like to dwell on negative things or things that I cannot control...and I really feel an emphasis on how we have been so blessed with our four boys.  My husband and I have never tried to get pregnant or tried to prevent pregnancy~and I have mixed feelings on "trying", because I do not know if I could endure another miscarriage like this...  For us, it will just be one of those things that we lift up to God.  (Hey, aren't we supposed to lift everything up to Him?!  LOL  Not always an easy task, though...).

Wow.  I am finally back on-line.  I have so much to update...the good, the sad, the mediocre...

We have a doctor appointment this afternoon for Lion that we are trying to get ready for, but I hope to return this evening to start updating and to catch up on reading my favorite blogs.

Kat

Just a quick shout-out to my SS--thank you so much!  I will post a picture as soon as possible!

We drove through the wildlife refuge (again) the other day.  My oldest, Lamb, was looking for scenes to photograph and we were hoping to see wildlife~mainly, an alligator.  We stopped and took a few pictures of the "Gator Nesting Pond"~flower and lily pad-covered water with black reeds shooting up and out~it was a beautiful morning!  Lamb was hoping to submit one of these shots in the "Nature/Scenery" category at the fair.

A truck was behind us, so we drove on...and came upon an alligator in some of the shallow marsh--Lamb saw it, but I felt like I could not stop because of the guy behind us (the entire automobile route at the refuge is one-way and one-lane).  As quickly as we could, we took the first exit and went back to that spot.  By that time, the gator was swimming towards the banks.  Lamb was trying to point him out to me, but by the time I realized where he was at, all I saw was his tail!  LOL  He then completely disappeared along the bankline...we waited, but he was not going to come out.  We even drove around one more time, but he did not appear.

Later, we took all of the pictures to Walgreens to develop.  We mounted them on black foam board, per the fair's guidelines.  I handed the stack to Lamb and we were on our way to turn them in and Lamb was looking over them one more time.  Suddenly, he said, "Mom!"  then, "There's an alligator in this picture!!"--the picture from the Gator Nesting Pond?  Where I let him get out of the car to get the best shot?  There was an alligator laying on a little island of reeds, looking right at us!  I guess, that in our rush (rushing to get in and out of the car because we probably should not have been outside of the car at all, plus we were making the man behind us wait), Lamb took that picture and we did not even see that alligator!  I will post the pic as soon as I have access--it is a scenic shot, but she (?with her nest?) is there... 

I hope to post all of the pics he entered soon! 

I apologize for promising Show and Tell Sundays, then not following through!  It's just been hectic.  I am hoping to post more later.

I do not have much time~I am at a friend's house, using her computer (thank you, Rebecca!)!



Here is a quick update:

• all new fixtures (ceiling fans, bathroom lights, etc.)  in house
• handyman coming this weekend to replace bath faucets, linoleum in bathrooms, remove shower doors
• maybe the house will be ready to put on the market by next week (?)
  
• came back Monday from spending the weekend with dh
  
• with sick 2-year old
• to find half of my bumper hanging off my van! 
• took the van to the place where it was repaired when dh was rear-ended...waiting for call
• broke beautiful, bargain light fixture from Lowe's fixture in driveway and nicked my foot
• they refunded and I found one I liked even more (not quite the bargain, though!)
  
• spent an hour at the ER at 10:00 p.m. with
  baby--oldest swung him up and somehow sliced his toe open  (I had
  a complete meltdown, but recovered when I realized it was going to be
  okay, LOL!)
• *this all happened on Monday...
• took 2-year old to ped. on Tuesday--diagnosis:  strep throat
• ped. also checked baby's toe and gave him a DPT
  shot (they did not give him a tetanus shot at the hospital--and he's
  only had one shot since birth~my theory on shots is another post for
  another day)
• baby running temperature all night and today
• Did he catch strep or is it from the shot?
• As of tonight, I think he has caught strep...

So...that
is how my week has been so far.  I will not go into the nightmare
telephone conversation with our real estate agent right now--it is just
too much!  Just know...I am kind of stressed and feel like I am
under attack!  I am hoping and praying that we are finished with
this house this weekend--I do not want to be here any more...

Today was my first opportunity to post again--I am at my MIL's house.  We are having our baby's first birthday party this weekend--it is a construction theme.  I have a big Tonka dump truck that I am going to fill with chocolate cake (and gummy worms~it is supposed to look like "dirt"!).  I found a t-shirt for him that has a picture of a bull dozer and says, "I dig being 1".  I found hard hats, construction signs and "caution" tape...we are going to put out lots of little cars and a car-carpet-track-thingy for the little ones to play with...we have a huge round pinata ("wrecking ball") and I bought three bubble machines~I think it will be a fun first birthday!  I will try to post pics on Sunday for my Show and Tell.  It has been hectic, trying to get everything ready while also packing up the house~I truly feel like I am forgetting something...

What do you think about yearly themed parties?

Well, I really am losing my internet connection today~no more "rescheduling", LOL!  I have to let it happen...I am hoping it does not disconnect in the middle of this post, LOL!

I hope to check in tomorrow evening from my brother's computer.  He has offered me "unlimited" use of it, LOL.  Then, either I will make my dh bring our computer to the beach house, or buy me a laptop (anniversary gift?  early birthday?  LOL)!  I know I am going to miss having instant access to information for various homeschool subjects, plus just checking in and reading everyone's blogs!  But, I will definitely be on-line every Sunday and will continue my show and tells--I will also keep up with BFS and SS~don't worry!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

I came across this album while I was packing:

My mom gave it to me a few years ago--it belonged to my dad's mom.  I never knew my paternal grandmother...she died of cancer when my dad was in the fifth grade (1950?).  I know that her name was Cordelia and that she had attended the University of Texas.  I know that my dad, her only child, was the apple of her eye~you can see her adoration of him in their old photographs. 

Sometimes I wonder at my dad's inner strength...he lost his mom at 11 years of age, then his wife (his high school sweetheart) at 27.  I know that he drank heavily after losing his wife...but I am talking more about his attitude and demeanor~he has not been victimized by the circumstances of life.  He is a joy to be around and everyone who meets him instantly likes him.  He is a wonderful father and grandfather~I love him so much...

Anyways, although this little blue velvet book looks like a picture album, Cordelia used it as a recipe book.  And, it appears to be a gift~there is an inscription written in German on the first page by Ernst Hanschen n (there is a little mark over the n) Frau.  (My grandfather's family was German, my grandmother's family was from England--I wonder if this was a gift from someone on my grandfather's side of the family?).  I would love to have this translated! 

The paper in this album is old and brittle~I am trying to be very careful as I turn the pages.  Reading and examining this sweet, worn velvet book completely indulges my fascination with history and my imagination...I love seeing how Cordelia worded things, I wonder what inspired her, what was going on in her life at the moment she wrote down her recipes...I try to get to know her through this small memento...

A recipe for "Good" cornbread!

Breakfast nook staged and ready:

The area looks so sparse...to me, at least!  I call my decorating style Elegant Victorian Country (Country Victorian Elegance?  Victorian Country Elegance?) and I like more, LOL!  Lots of filled nooks, but not too much clutter...it is a fine line I walk!  But, I am trying to please the house-hunters now...

I just could not make myself take the time to iron the tablecloth--too many other things vying for my attention...

Right now, I feel like I am going to paint every room in my new house...I am so tired of white walls!  I never painted here, because I knew we would be selling and did not want to waste all of my "painting energy" on this house, LOL.

I took these pics because I want to remember how I have my hutch organized once we move~this is my favorite arrangement so far!

Good night!