Good morning all. I hope this finds everyone doing well. It's Sunday... the weekend is drawing to a close... Tancy's laying down trying to take a nap and I am trying to figure out what to do (quietly) with myself for the time being.

Yesterday was a good day. Sonia & Heather came by the house and visited for a while. That was nice, we hadn't seen them in a while so it was good to catch up with them. Mandy got here in time to visit with them some before they had to leave. They left just before Sandy got here for a previous engagement. Once Sandy got here we ate dinner, I had been cooking this beautiful roast all day. I tasted the gravy after it came out of the oven... oh man! I think it was my best roast ever. The potatoes were delicious, the meat was tender, the gravy was absolutely sinful. Yum!

After we were all sufficiently stuffed, we headed out to McAdenville to see the lights. We walked and laughed and took pictures. It was a great time. Cold enough to feel like winter, not so cold you were miserable. All the kids in cars or walking had apparently been coached to tell everyone they came in contact with "Merry Christmas!" So we spent alot of time responding in kind. It's truly one of those things that makes your heart feel lite.

We came back home, everyone had seconds of the roast, except me... I opted for milk and cookies. Mandy gathered Dazey and her things and headed for her house. Tancy, Sandy and I settled in to watch some TV. By 10:00 I was in bed. I left Tancy and Sandy to occupy themselves and hopefully for Tancy to stay awake late. I tried to watch just a little TV, but by 10:30 I was out like a light. Tancy came to bed at 1:00 and I suspect that she and Sandy both crashed on the couches shortly after I went to bed.

This morning I was up at 7:00. Sandy was already up. Tancy got up shortly after I had coffee made. We had coffee and visited a while. We love Sandy. She's such a good soul. Her cousins husband passed away from cancer and she had to go visit the family. She obviously wasn't looking forward to that. Who can blame her? We told her to come back later if she could. We hope she can, but certainly understand if she can't.

Sandy left just a little while ago. Tancy and I each got a bite to eat and she's gone to the back to try to nap a little. I would go lay down with her, but I usually can't nap and only keep her awake. I hope she can sleep some... its the only way she will be able to stay up tonight.

In just a bit I need to start cooking the crawfish pie... but I don't want to do it right away or the smells will keep Tancy awake, or wake her up. It's fairly uncomplicated, so its not a big deal to wait a while.

Tylor and Val should be coming over later... I am not sure what time they will be here. It will be good to have some time with them too. I find myself, lately, craving time with people. Not big groups, not nights out, but quality time with those I love. Catching up, talking, laughing. A group is fine, but small enough to get time with everyone and everyone be able to participate in one conversation. To have the time to let them know how much I love them and miss them. And to make sure I say thank you and show my appreciation. I am so happy when I get time with Sandy or Heather and Sonia or Ty and Val (recent examples obviously)... sounds silly, I know.

I have been feeling pretty good. Still lovin' my sleep, but not as exhausted as I have been. I have had a little trouble eating when I should be. Not because I feel sick, I just don't really want anything. As yummy as the roast turned out, I didn't really want it... and it is the first thing that has tasted that good to me in a while. My pants (pre-pregnancy) are falling off of me and when I do wear my maternity pants they wont stay up either. I don't know that I have really lost any weight, but I don't think I have gained any presently either. I get plenty of milk... and thats probably the only thing I am getting "plenty" of food wise. I try, I just don't want alot of food. I am still kinda pissy sometimes, but I have gotten better about keeping that to myself. I had a very weird experience yesterday. Tancy and I were rough housing and picking with each other.. I had been tickling her and she retaliated.... I was laughing and screaming (like I do when I get tickled) and we were having a good time. Then, suddenly, I start crying, sobbing... I couldn't explain it and poor Tancy, I know she suddenly felt like an ass. It wasn't anything that she did. I think I just hit one of those pregnancy hormone surges, I honestly don't know what the hell it was. I couldn't articulate anything to her except I had no idea what the hell was going on and that she had done nothing wrong. It took her a minute, but I think she accepted that it truly didn't have anything to do with her. So weird. I hope there aren't many more of those because I felt like a complete lunatic! I can't take too many more times like that, makes a person question their own sanity. I can only assume that I am not the only one who has experienced this.... I have worked hard to stop thinking that I am the only one (regarding anything) who has ever experienced something difficult and embarrassing.

Anyway, it's nearing 11:00 and I am bored to tears!! LOL. I think that wraps up my blog for today. I hope you all are enjoying today.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds everyone doing well. It is a sunny Saturday here, beautiful blue skies!

We kept Dazey (Lauren's puppy) last night. The dogs did well together. We ended up having to put Dazey in Hemmi's kennel to sleep last night, she just couldn't settle down. Once she was in the kennel though, she was out like a light!

This morning I was up at 7:00. I wanted so badly to sleep later, but I knew if I managed to go back to sleep I would wake up with a terrible headache. And I wanted to check on Dazey. She was still snoozing when I got her up to go out and potty. Tancy was up around 7:30 with our puppies and we had coffee.We watched the Food Network for a bit, cookie baking, yumm.

Then we got moving. She swept the floor. I started on dinner. I bought a roast to cook today. Sandy loves my roast and I haven't cooked for her in a while. Once Tancy had the floor done she got her bath. I continued cooking. I got the roast in the oven, full of onions and potatoes, it smells absolutely divine! Tancy's playing video games as I blog.

Today Sonia & Heather will stop by after the get Adriane back to his Mom (their nephew). We were suppose to get together tonight after seeing the lights, but they had other plans to go see a friend of ours play and we couldn't make that since we already had other plans. I am glad to get a quick visit in, we have been missing them. Seems everyone is so busy right now with the holidays, work and day to day life. The only people we see regularly at this point are Mandy & Lauren.

Sandy will come by after she gets off work today, we will have dinner and then head out to see the Christmas lights. In years prior, we have all gotten together and gone, a big group of us loaded into one car (two if absolutely necessary) and walked McAdenville. This year that just hasn't worked out. Kinda bums me out to be honest, but life changes and schedules get full, thats just the way things are. Mandy will be here around 3:00 (which means closer to 4:00) to have dinner and see the lights with us. We will certainly have to bundle up, the low tonight is in the mid 20's last I checked. Burr!

Then we will head home. Mandy will probably go to her house shortly after we get back, she's got to work tomorrow. You never know with Sandy. She may stay and hang out, she may spend the night or she may head on home herself. No matter when everyone heads home, I intend to enjoy their company for as long as they are here.

Tomorrow, at some point, Tylor and Val are suppose to come over so we can give them their Christmas presents. I am cooking crawfish pie for Ty per his request. It is one of his favorites. I would cook it more often for him, but he isn't around much. They have started their own lives with their own schedules... its good to see, but we miss seeing him (and Val) as often as we used to.

We hope to hear from Jenn & Tab on their way back from Asheville. I haven't seen or talked to either of them too much... so I am really hopeful that they will stop by. Jenn is still working on her schedule outside of work, the 12 hour days doesn't leave her much time for anything on a work day. Then the weekends she, understandably, wants to rest and not do too much. I am telling you, this holiday season just feels different. We are all very busy this time of year, but things just seem to be shifting somehow. Maybe no one cares to keep a break-neck pace anymore, I am not sure.

After all our company, there isn't much else planned for tomorrow. Tancy needs to try to nap some during the day and stay up tomorrow night. She will be preparing for her first shift of nights starting Monday. Not sure how she will fit in a nap, but if anyone can do it, she can! LOL.

I don't know if I will blog tomorrow, just depends on what quiet time I have. And Monday I might not blog till she leaves for work... that just seems easier for me... I don't usually like to be on the computer when she's home, that's time we could be spending together.

So, I hope your weekend is great. It's finally gotten cold here again, so I am much happier with that than I was with 64 degrees in December! Whatever your weather is, enjoy your day.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds everyone doing well on a Friday! I don't know about ya'll, but I am so glad it is Friday. Tancy was done with her training yesterday and made it home around 1:30. We have a three day (and some change) weekend together. That makes me incredibly happy.

We didn't do much of anything yesterday. We did go to see our fish guy. Got another goby to sift sand and ended up with a sharks egg (Tancy's Christmas present). It's basically an algae eater, but it's a "shark" so Tancy's tickled shitless. Plus we get to watch it grow in the egg till it hatches (you can see through the egg), so that's kinda neat. It will only get about 18" long and stay small. It wont eat any of our fish, so I am good with that.

We came home and I let Tancy see what was in her stocking. We ended up watching one of the movies, Step Brothers. It was hilarious!! I could watch it again! Then we watched the latest episode of Top Chef and went to bed. I think we were both asleep by 9:30. Wild and crazy, I know!!

We slept in this morning, till about 8:00. It was nice. Tancy made coffee and fed the dogs. I love the mornings on the weekend when I don't have to do anything. We even got to snuggle this morning, which never happens with work schedule and puppies.. so that was a good start to the day as well.

Today we are probably going to try to finish up some Christmas shopping. Then we will be puppy sitting for Lauren. Should be a quiet day today. It will be nice to just spend the time with Tancy and catch back up. Somehow, it never seems like we have enough time together. So I am looking at this weekend a great chance to catch up on that time. With her going on shift, we should have plenty of opportunity to spend time together... if we make wise use of our time. LOL.

Alright kids, I need to balance the checkbook and see how much money we don't have! Haha. Hey, you gotta have a sense of humor about it, right?

Have a great day today and enjoy your weekend.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all doing well today.

I'll start with what little news I have first. I talked to Mom yesterday after Dad's appointment. He has two herniated discs, C7 & T1. For now the doctor does not think that surgery is the next step. They think their best first option is a steroid shot. They will have to go to a pain specialist for this. They will see how that works for him and if it does well then he will also start a physical therapy program. If it doesn't, then I imagine that surgery is the next step. So, Mom sounded good when I talked to her and Dad sounded pretty good in the background (making his calls). I just want him to feel better and not temporarily.

So, in my last blog I said I was going to become one with the couch. I lied. I became one with the bed. I felt so bad, I can only imagine it was from the syrup I had to drink, that I just wanted to lay down. I had the physical discomfort of being punched in the stomach and being nauseous as well. Not fun. I got in bed at 11:00 and stayed there until 5:30 this morning (obviously I got up for this and that, but I didn't return to the couch). When Tancy got home she was a sweet heart and warmed up left overs for us, which we had in bed. Then we watched Dexter, good episode and a bit more TV and we were asleep just after 7:00. We were both awake at 11:00, Tancy had a coughing fit. I was awake for about an hour before I managed to go back to sleep. Then I was awake again at 3:33, I had been asleep for nearly 8 hours total and my body was telling me to get up... I didn't listen. I dozed off and on till I finally got up at 5:30. My back bothered me all night, I had alot of trouble getting comfortable.

Today is Tancy's last day of training. She will have a three day weekend and then start nights on Monday night. That will certainly be an adjustment. But we have lots of adjustments coming, not just the obvious with shift work and a baby on the way, but I feel like there's something else out there just waiting to show itself... there's more coming that I can't quite figure out at this point. We shall see.

Hopefully I will manage to wrap presents today. I really need to get that done. Otherwise I'll be handing out presents in Wal-Mart bags... not that there's anything wrong with that, but I like wrapped presents. I especially like having presents under the tree and right now there are none. I think I can manage that today, since I slept so much last night... I don't really have much else on my list of things to do today.

Ok kids. I am going to call my Mom and check in with her this morning and then see what I can get into! I hope you all have a fabulous day today. Sending out all the positive energy and thoughts I can muster to all of you.

Love to all!

Well, its still morning... but I feel like it's much later in the day. I made it to my desitination early and they were able to start right away. First is a blood draw, to see what your levels are prior to drinking this syrup they make you drink. Then you drink the syrup. Then you wait an hour and then another blood draw to see what your levels are like after the syrup.

I was feeling pretty good before the cocktail... after, not so much. It's making my stomach hurt at this point. I had some protein when I got home, hoping that will counter balance the massive amount of sugar in my stomach. We shall see... I don't know what else to do to feel any better.

Currently I would really love to take a nap. I am exhausted. But I think I am mostly going to chill out for a bit and then wrap some Christmas presents... I may not do one damn thing today. Everything is all done, so there is a part of me that's like "What next?" and there's another part of me that just wants to crash for a while and do absolutely nothing. The way I am left feeling from the morning, I will probably just stick with crashing and becoming one with the couch! Haha.

Got an email from Casie this morning, she and Chuck are feeling much better. I am so glad to hear that. I, on the other hand, am concerned about my gastrointestinal fortitude presently.

I should get a call in a little while with an update from Mom and Dad about what the doctor had to say about Dad's back. We know he has two herniated discs... but we don't know what they will do for him to get him well at this point. They are at the doctors office as I type. I hope they give him a good path forward to complete relief from the pain he's been in. I know, just from watching Tancy with her neck, how miserable it is and how it wears you down in every aspect of your life. So, I'll keep you posted on what they tell him and where we (Dad) goes from here.

The rest of this week should be fairly quiet. Friday night we are puppy sitting for Lauren if she goes to a concertin Georgia. Saturday night we are going to see the lights at McAdenville, then we are going to see the girls. Should be a good night. Sunday, hopefully, we will catch up with Jenn & Tab.

The next week will be spent doing the normal household stuff, making sure I have all our clothes cleaned for the Ohio trip and Thursday we have an appointment with our OB/GYN. It will be our first time meeting her. They will have all my results from the tests I have had done. We will also schedule our next appointment then, which is when we should be able to find out the sex of the baby. Then Friday we leave for Ohio. We will be gone for a little more than a week, Tancy's parents first... then Aunt Jan and DJ for a couple of days... then back to Tancy's parents house for the rest of the trip. Gonna be a wild and crazy trip!

So those are our plans for the next 18 days! I wont know what plans we have for after Christmas until we know what is going on with Dad. They may be here for a few days, or I may be going there after the first of the year (well, either way I will be going there after the first of the year more than likely).

That's all I got for now kids. I hope you are all having a great day today.

Love to all!

Wow, what a day yesterday. Good morning all. I hope this finds you all doing very well on this Wednesday morning. I have to tell you, its raining and 62 degrees!! It's suppose to be near 70 today! Unseasonably warm. Yuck!

Ok, I gotta make this a quick one, I have to get ready to go for my Glucose test this morning.

Yesterday was crazy. I took the puppies to Mandy's and was back home for 7:30. I got a quick bite to eat and started working. I got all the floors swept and mopped (frustrating because I now seem to need to take small breaks during strenuous activities... my back was killing me). I dusted everything AGAIN. I washed nearly everything in the house. LOL. I wiped down doors, inside and out. I washed dishes. I put anything undesireable away. I took out the trash. I took out recycling. I took out the pants Tancy set to the side to give away. I wiped every shiny surface until it sparkled (Ammonia/Windex works great for this; faucets, stainless steel, brushed nickle... takes out water spots fabulously). I folded and put away clothes. I made certain everything was neatly organized.

Just when I thought I had done all the work there was to be done, Gary got here! Wow, we tore this house apart! We rearranged every bedroom in the house. Which means all those little spots I knew I should probably clean, but would require me moving furniture, got cleaned! He staged the kitchen for me... He even set up our bathroom to have that spa feel, wow! Everything looked AMAZING. I am telling you, it looks like something out of a magazine, but its still functional. He's awesome. I can't possibly thank him enough. He's really good at what he does.

I got bread on to making so the house smelled fabulous and made a final pass with the dust mop to catch any fuzzies I might have missed with all the moving. Gary left here at 4:00, I was just a few minutes behind him (had to put on my shoes). We worked right up to the last minute. Then we wait.... The showing started at 4:30.

We got a call from our realtor at 5:30 that they had just left. So we headed home, only 2 minutes down the street we were here in no time... and guess what... They were standing in the yard talking. Our agent didn't even know they hadn't left yet! I take that as a good sign. So here's the feedback:
The house looks fantastic
The floors are gorgeous
The bathroom (master) is great
They are really impressed with the master
The two "guest" bedrooms (They have twin boys) are small - but that wasn't a make or break deal
The wife wasn't thrilled with the kitchen, likes to cook and worried about the size. Our agent assured them that I LOVE to cook and tell her that it is fully functional.
The wife also didn't like the back yard... but once the husband told her he could cut some of the trees, that didn't seem to be an issue any more.

They want to look at other houses in this price range, comparison shopping, and see how things line up. I am hopeful. We will see. We certainly pulled out all the stops and if they don't end up making an offer its strictly because it isn't the house for them.... not because the house wasn't absolutely perfect!

So, I need to get off of here now. Time to get ready and head in to "town" for my test. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well and I don't have to do the three hour test. I will try to post more later, when I get back home from the test.

Love to all!

How your baby's growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Yesterday was the start of week 13 and the last week of my first trimester. I have been feeling great, aside from being exhausted - due to working our asses off in the house to get it ready for a showing. No sickness, the exhaustion has really decreased as well. I don't really want to eat too much, but eat because I need to. No cravings, but the aversions are lessening.

Still not really emotional, just bitchy if anything. But even that seems to be less severe than it was a few weeks ago. My nesting may be kicking in early, I have had a real desire to cook (again, finally, thankfully) and have the house clean and in order. Yay!! Or maybe that's just me getting back to me. Either way, I am happy about that!

Today I have a glucose screening test (the short test) to check for gestational diabetes. Next Thursday is our 14 week check up and we are just 4-6 weeks away from being able to find out what whether we are having a boy or a girl!

Love to all!

Well, I managed to get to Wal-Mart by 7:45... it was empty, which was really nice... and what a change. I checked off most of the items off of my list, their shelves were bare... I overheard one of the workers say they were waiting on a truck, I could tell! But that meant at least one more stop to pick up the items they didn't have. I made my way to the check out line and paid the nice cashier. Then it was out to the truck to load everything in and make my way back to the house.

Next stop Target. I needed Ammonia for the floor (we are stripping it and because of the last product we used on the floor, it is taking quite a bit of labor and ammonia) and some Kaboom for the toilets. I was out of there in like 5 minutes. I made one more stop to check another person off of my list of gifts I still needed to get and then "Home James".

I got back home at 10:45. I was already exhausted. I had been gone for more than 3.5 hours and I still had a whole day ahead of me. I wasn't looking forward to it either! I sucked it up and unloaded all the groceries and even put them away neatly. I also made myself some lunch, and cleaned up my mess!

I talked to Tancy. Her day was going painfully slow, nothing to do till the noon lecture and no computer access. She was bored out of her mind. We talked for a minute, what I had accomplished, what was still on the list, etc. Poor thing, I hope her day is going by faster now. She'd rather be home helping me get everything ready.

I decided, since I couldn't stand the idea of cleaning and/or being inside, that I would be better served to work outside for a bit. I managed to get the carport organized and swept out. I was going to empty the last humming bird feeder, but there was a yellow jacket buzzing around it and I wasn't in the mood to get stung. I know they are lethargic, but he darted at me when I first reached for it... screw that, I can wait! So I headed back in the house. I finished wiping down windows, then mirrors, then walls and baseboards... not all of them mind you, just spot cleaning. I don't have the energy to wipe down every solid surface in the house today. I wiped down the bedroom and bathroom doors and the back of the front door. I cleaned the fan blades of the fans in the living room and our bedroom.

It's not even 2:00 yet, so I have another 3.5 hours before Tancy gets out of work. So, here directly I suppose I will make my way into the back of the house and work on the spare bedroom closets. I really would rather sit right here on the love seat, but I am reminded that the work isn't done and guilt kicks in. I also need to unload the dishwasher and re-load it. I am going to cook a fettuccini here in a little while for dinner. Tomorrow I am going to cook a roast in the oven, something I can leave cooking while the house is showing... makes the house smell great and I don't have to worry about it burning.

Tomorrow I probably wont blog right away. I am going to head out when Tancy does and take the puppies to Mandy's so I can get the last bit of stuff done, make a pass on the floor and get up any remaining dirt or dog hair and not have to worry about there being more of it before I leave. I will wait till tomorrow to mop the kitchen floor as well. Again, the puppies not being here just ensures what I clean stays that way. It will certainly be a full day.... again.

Ok kids. I think that's all I got for now. I had better make wise use of my time at this point. I don't want to be running around frantic tomorrow.

I hope you are all having a great day today.

Love to all!

Good morning all. I hope this finds you all doing well after a nice relaxing weekend.

I caught up with Mom, sounds like they had a good weekend. Aunt Jan, outside of being up too early yesterday, sounds like a relaxing weekend as well. Mom says Casie's sick, I'll have to check in with her later in the day... don't want to wake her if she's home resting.

So our weekend was full, nothing new though. Friday we actually just chilled out and spent some us time. We went and got our Christmas tree, I was soo happy. We had lunch together at Taco & Tequila, I had been craving their salsa. Yummy. We went to the fish place next door to check out what all critters he had and ask some questions on lighting for the aquarium, etc. Then home to decorate the tree and a few decorations in the house, I scaled it down this year since the house is for sale, don't want the house to look cluttered. After all the decorating was done, we watched a movie and just relaxed on the couch together. Seems like forever since we did that. I don't remember what time we went to bed, but I slept like a baby. Yay!!

Saturday morning we were up by 8:00, not bad. I would love to sleep till 10:00 on the weekends, but it just doesn't work out that way for me. We were up and running. Our plans for the day was to spend the day with Mandy. We managed to work in a little baking and Val and her Mom were coming over... a girls day. Those are always fun... and we love getting to spend time with Val. It was a fun day. Sandy came over after work and she and Tancy played guitar most of the evening. We had twice baked potatoes and chicken for dinner. It was yummy. It had been a long day for everyone so we bugged out and headed home around 9:00. I fell asleep pretty quickly, Tancy stayed up to watch TV. With the new head phones, no problem!! However, at midnight she got up for a snack, potatoe chips and dip... in the bed... needless to say I was awake and not very happy about it. It took me forever to get back to sleep (being borderline pissed will do that for ya), but I finally did.

Sunday morning I was awake at 7:00 and not happy about it at all. I think that hour plus time that I was awake made me feel like I hadn't had enough sleep. I did finally get up to empty my bladder and then right back into bed. I didn't really go back to sleep, but I wasn't ready to give up the fight. Tancy was up by 7:45 and made coffee, fed the dogs, the usual morning routine. I was thankful to her for that. I needed a few minutes to wake up and not be a bitch. She fixed me a cup of coffee and all was right with the world. Then we hit it. We are suppose to show the house on Tuesday and we are pulling out all the stops. Tancy was working on the floors (stripping the hard wood and putting a simple polish on it) and I was working on making every space look clean, neat and bigger than it is. I got all the kitchen cabinets organized, the utility room organized.... in the meantime Mandy brought Lauren over to help us. So Lauren started cleaning bathrooms for me while I organized the cabinets in our bathroom. Next I moved back in to the kitchen to clean out the fridge and freezer. I mean full on clean; throw out old food, take everything out, wipe down all solid surfaces, put everything back neatly. It's amazing how gross a fridge and freezer can get! It looks much better now though and I am pleased with the results. From there Lauren moved into our bathroom to clean in. I had the oven cleaning. I dusted all the furniture in the back of the house (Tancy's working in the living room, so I am just trying to stay out of the way). Lauren cleaned the microwave for me and then decided to wipe down my cabinet tops (up near the ceiling). Gross! She also wiped the insides of the cabinets I had worked so diligently to organize. I started laundry. We worked all freaking day! I still have a list a mile long to do today and tomorrow. At 5:30 I left to take Lauren home. I got back at 7:00, Tancy was already cleaned up and in bed. I got my bath and joined her. By 8:30 we were both ready to pass out.

This morning she's off to work. She works 4/10's this week. So I have a long day to get to work! I am going to get dressed in just a minute and head out to get my groceries. Then it's back home, unload and put everything away neatly and get back to work. I need to work on the closets in the spare bedrooms, pack up what I can and make the rest look nice and neat. I want to wipe down baseboards and ceiling fan blades. I also hope to work outside a bit. We need to get the stuff in the carport picked up and put away, I need to fill my bird feeders and empty my humming bird feeders (since the humming birds wont be back till spring). I told you we are pulling out all the stops.

These people, who are suppose to look at the house on Tuesday, have ridden by the house a couple of times. They like the way it looks from the outside, which isn't even the most attractive aspect of the house. They like that it has hard wood floors and tile (hence the extensive amount of attention to the floors). They should already be pre-approved before they walk in the door on Tuesday, so if they like it, we can roll on. They are working with our agent, which I view as a positive because we will know right away how they feel about the place... and should they not be interested, we will have some untainted feedback on the house to go by. I just want to make sure that everything looks as good as it possibly can. For every corner to be as clean as it can be, so they don't even have a chance to think... Wow, we are gonna have to clean this place before we move in it. Not that we live in filth, we don't... but if you have ever done spring cleaning, you know that you have areas of your house that seem absolutely nasty when you clean that (one time a year). Well, we have been doing that for months now. At least once a month the house gets a thorough clean. It's alot of work... and frustrating when it doesn't produce a sale.

So, anyway, I have got to get moving! Lots to do today. I am hoping to get some of the outside stuff done. Tancy will come home and start back on the floors... and I don't want her to be worried about what else there is to do. I have 10 hours to bust out as much as possible! I am already exhausted. This will be day three that is FULL. But I'm sleeping like a baby, so who can really complain?!

I hope you all have a fantastic day today. Sending you all of the positive energy I can muster. Keep your fingers crossed for us. I know that if it is meant to be, it will be. The next two days, for me, are going to be crazy... but what's new?! I hope yours are a little calmer.

Love to all!

Good Friday morning everyone. I hope this finds you all doing well. Excited about the weekend no doubt.

Yesterday was a very productive day for me. I'll start at the beginning. Of course there was the normal routine, make coffee, feed the pups, see Tancy off to work. Then I talked to Mom on the phone for a bit. I do enjoy our morning conversations. She sounded good, said Dad was still feeling some relief from the physical therapy (fantastic news!), it was just an uplifting conversation. Oh, and while we were on the phone, I managed to get a few things done in the house. Go me!

Got off the phone with her, jumped in the shower, washed the sleepy off and got ready to start the day. Today would be my first day wearing my maternity pants. Now, I can still wear my regular pants... they are still loose even, but I was having one of those days where my tummy felt a little crampy and "thick" and I just didn't want a waist band. Plus I thought a trial run would be a good thing. Anyway, started out not real crazy about them. The problem with no waist band is that you have nothing to grab a hold to in order to hike your britches up when they are falling down (a problem I have with the seat of my pants). Also, I felt like I didn't have anything on... which for some sounds appealing, but not to me. I figured out if I tucked my tank top into my pants (the stretchy part that covers your belly), it would keep them from sliding down a bit. Ok... now that's attractive. (Get over it Jodie, no one will see that but you.)

So, all dressed and out the door I go. First to the dentist to get my second cleaning out of the way. They are all really nice there, ask how you are doing, ask how Tancy's doing, how was Thanksgiving, etc. My gums were a bit sensitive this time, had a few "Owweey" moments. Got done fairly quickly, they gave me some prescription strength sensitivity tooth paste with fluoride. Will give that a shot. I was worried about the cost of the visit, $16, I was tickled and out the door.

While I was driving I called Aunt Judy to check on her. She had surgery on her right shoulder a little more than a week ago and I had yet to call and check on her. I felt terrible that I had been so long in calling. We had a great conversation. She was chattier than I expected, but it was a pleasant surprise. She asked how we were both doing, what we had been up to, when we were coming home, etc. We talked about babies and the holidays and just about everything. I really felt like she was interested in what is going on with us and that made me smile. You just never know who is thinking about you. (Something to think about.) It was great catching up with her and I actually had to cut our conversation shorter than I would have liked, but I was coming up on a dead spot and didn't want to lose her mid-conversation. I told her they'll have to come up and see us sometime, I hope she takes me up on that. Maybe the "girls" could plan a trip. Aunt Judy & Daniele, Aunt Wanda, Kelly, Mickey and Mallory. That would be alot of fun. I just like it when my family comes to see us here, see how and where we live, to share our lives a bit. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Next stop Toyota to get my oil changed. And DON'T TOUCH MY TIRES! They let me drive around with a balled tire without saying a word, I am still pissed about that. Plus they charge to rotate tires and I now get that for free where I bought my tires. It only took them 30 minutes to get me out of there and $24, not bad! I am feeling pretty accomplished at this point. Two major things off of my "To Do" list. Next stop a bit of fun!

To the mall I went. I have been fighting buy my clinique moisturizer for months now. I wanted to find a cheaper alternative... but after trying a few different things, one break out and now my face peeling.... I decided it just wasn't worth it. Nothing works for me like clinique does. I had scheduled a "day of beauty" (for free of course) and then I would get my desperately needed moisturizer (I have been scrapping the inside of my empty container for the remaining remnants of moisturizer). I get a make over, it's nice to be pampered, especially when it is free. Before it is all said and done, I give one girl the number to Reach, she and her husband can't conceive on their own and want another child. And I give another girl the number for our tattoo guy. They had all kinds of questions, once they realized I wasn't straight and pregnant by conventional methods. They certainly got all their questions answered... they were really sweet girls. The make up looked pretty good and was just the added pick me up I needed. I got my moisturizer (and a travel tube) and was off to check out the mall. After walking the full length, I decided that I really wasn't in the mood and headed to my car.

I stopped by to see our fish guy, since he was on my way home, to see if he had gotten any Gobys in. He had not, but would be ordering that day. He said he would call us when he got one in. Short visit, but again productive. Yay me. Now I was on my way back to Lincolnton. I was already feeling really tired and had been nauseous all day. I was ready to get home, but I still had another stop to make before I could do that.

I headed to the place we got my tires for a quick rotation. I was due and with the upcoming traveling, wanted to make sure I got that done right away. I had to wait 30 minutes before they could take my car back, so I took the time to answer some emails I had gotten in my other running around. It only took them about 15 minutes to get it done once they brought the car back. Not bad. I also got a laugh because the guys didn't know how to get the mileage... it's right there on the dash. Funny stuff. I was on my way. I decided to stop and get dinner. I was hungry, although I would wait for Tancy to get home to eat, and didn't feel like cooking. I stopped at our new Japanese restaurant and checked out their menu. I wasn't going to order, to be honest nothing looked that appealing, but I was seduced by the free drink the girl gave me and I broke. I ordered the steak teriyaki and shrimp and broccoli. Now I could go home!

I got home, unloaded my plunder, let the pups out and put away everything I had brought in. Then I flopped down on the couch. I was truly exhausted. Unfortunately I still had a little time before Tancy got home. I checked my emails quickly and let the puppies back in... then I just vegged in front of the TV till she called. I fed the dogs just before she got home and as soon as she walked in the door we got our dinners and started eating. It was fair. I could probably do better myself, but it killed hunger and I didn't have to cook. It was more rice than anything, I ate less than half of mine and pushed it toward Tancy who ate all the carrots.

After dinner we caught up on all the days goings on. Jenn called and we talked on her way to get her hair cut. It's nice to catch up with her. We need to plan to get together soon. Oh, I almost forgot, Tancy fixed me a bowl of chocolate ice cream! Tancy checked her email and caught up on the blogs she'd missed so far this week. Before too long I was ready for my jammies and to lay down. I had resisted the urge to get in bed as soon as she got home! I had managed to hold out till nearly 7:00!!  It was time now. The phone rang as I was brushing my teeth, I thought it might be Jenn calling back, turns out it was Tancy's Mom. I was glad for her to get a chance to talk to her Mom. They chatted for a bit, I wanted something to snack on, so I headed back into the kitchen. Just as I hit the living room Tancy was getting off the phone. Now, you tell me if this snack doesn't prove I am pregnant: I  tried chips, but settled on eating canned tomatoes with a fork... yum (Tancy found this most disturbing). Then I moved on to the three sweet gherkins that were left in the jar. After that I moved on to the two kosher dill spears that were left in their jar. I stopped after that, I had already had ice cream remember! Tancy had some kosher dill spears too, but they were a different kind... I don't care for them.

Then we were both off to bed. I was just trying to stay awake long enough to watch the Top Chef episode I had missed the night before. I made it! As soon as it was over, I was ready for bed. Tancy had been kind enough to get the body pillow off of the spare bed for me and I was working on figuring out what worked best for me with that. She watched a little more TV, but by 9:15 we were both settled in to sleep. She was snoring in less than 5 minutes after turning the TV off. I am sure I wasn't far behind.

And finally, at last, I slept all night long! Yay!! At 5:30, I still wanted more, but got up anyway. I do have some responsibility in the mornings. But I am tickled shitless to have slept all night last night. I don't know if its because of all the running around from yesterday, or my body just finally needed sleep, or the body pillow allowed me to find a comfortable position. Either way, I am so thankful for a full nights sleep! It really does affect my mood... and today in a very positive way!

Today Tancy has her test and then once she gets home we will go get our Christmas tree. Today will be spent getting our Christmas decorations up. I am excited. I usually like to do it the weekend after Thanksgiving, but that didn't work out for us this year.. this weekend will work though. I love decorating for Christmas. I wish we put lights all over the house. I especially love Christmas lights. I can't wait to see McAdenville's lights, hopefully this weekend.

Saturday we are spending some time with Mandy, Lauren, Val and Val's Mom. It will be a nice, low key day. I am looking forward to it.

Sunday we will spend the day cleaning the house. I mean really, really cleaning the house. We have a possible showing on Tuesday. The couple have passed by the house a few times already, like the way it looks from the outside, are excited about the flooring and eager to take a look. So, we have to be inspection ready. We will make that happen on Sunday. They are working with our agent, which to my way of thinking, is to our benefit because we will know very quickly how serious they are. Keep your fingers crossed for us. I know that if it is meant to be, it will be.

So, that lines out our weekend. I can't wait for Tancy to get home today. I enjoy our time together on the weekends, especially when we get time for just the two of us. We have two weeks now before we leave for Ohio... I am beginning to feel the pressure already. Here's who we still have to buy for:
Lauren
Poppy
DJ
Val
Mark
Maw-Maw
Jess & Joe
Each other

I don't like having that many people to buy for still. Normally I would be done by now. Luckily, for almost everyone, I know what I want to buy them. I just have to make it happen..... soon!

Ok kids. I think that's all the catching up I have to do for today. I sure love ya bunches and hope you all have a great weekend. If I don't post before then, I'll talk to you on Monday.

Love to all!