Christmas Card 2011

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas!

With love from our family,



First White Egg!

As many of you know, we have chickens...13 hens to be exact.  Our four Buff Orpingtons have continually surprised us with their egg-laying and sweet docile nature.  Even with the weather turning colder, they have continued to lay an egg a day.  Love them!

Our nine White Leghorn hens on the other hand have been a handful!  They are NOT sweet like the buffs nor are they nice to each other.  We started out with ten, but they ganged up on one little hen and swiftly did away with her by pecking her to death :(  They also have tormented our poor buffs (who are very broody and love nesting) by scratching all the hay out of their nesting boxes and trying to peck their eggs.  We promptly decided the best course of action was to build a seperate coop to house the White Leghorns so they would leave our buffs in peace .  I have to say my hubby has been a trooper for building two seperate coops and such a huge help with the hens (really he has taken them over- he enjoys them as much as I do!)

We weren't surprised with the colder weather and the move to the new coop that they hadn't started laying eggs yet.  They are only 22 weeks old afterall and the buffs didn't start laying until 24 weeks old.  However, we were surprised to see our first white eggs appear just this past week!  The White Leghorns are also nesting in their boxes correctly and not scratching their hay out.  I guess they are finally starting to mature! LOL 

As you can tell I am VERY partial to my buffs (who by the way have rebuilt their pretty little nests and are much happier now that the White Leghorns are gone), and the brown eggs they produce are big and taste wonderful.  It was my idea to get the White Leghorns so that we could have both white and brown eggs, and while I don't regret it at all, I would suggest going with the buffs if you're thinking about getting some hens for fresh eggs :) They are MUCH less trouble!



Gender Reveal Party!

After being asked by quite a few people to have a gender reveal party, Wayne and I decided it might be fun.  What were we thinking??? It was the  hardest thing we've ever done- waiting to find out the sex of our baby with everyone else, that is!

Gender reveal parties have become quite popular, and I honestly never considered having one (especially since this is our 3rd baby), but after thinking and talking about it for a bit, we decided that if nothing else, it was a great way to get all of our family (and there are a LOT of them!) together.  We have a HUGE combined family and hosting a party for 75 people is NOT easy, but we managed to pull it off with a lot of help from my Mom, Grandma, and Aunts (thanks ladies for cooking!).

Here is a copy of the invitation we sent out:

The original plan was to have the party at the camphouse with a hayride over for the kids.  However, due to rain (and mud) we decided to have the party at our church's fellowship hall instead.  It was quite a bit more cozy, but the camphouse would have been fun too.

As guests arrived we sat down to a dinner of chili, potato soup, and chicken noodle soup along with hot dogs for the kids.

I have to say the potato soup was delicious! I have craved soups more than anything else with this pregnancy.  Along with soup, my cravings have been pickles, apples, and club sandwiches.  Crazy, huh?

Before we could cut the cake, we had to get everyone together for Team Blue or Team Pink pictures.  As you can see, everyone was predominantly Team Blue!  I guess after having 2 little girls everyone expects the 3rd baby to be a boy!

And Team Pink....all 8 of them lol!

I thought it was too cute that Makenzie was all for Team Pink while Presley was Team Blue all the way.

Our Cake:

I LOVED the great job the girls at Cups and Cakes did with our reveal cake!  You may not can make it out from the picture, but it actually says, "He? She? Open to See"  I got this idea from Pinterest, and Hailey put her own spin on it.  Turned out great!

Everyone was so anxious to find out what we were having (so were we!) that we barely finished eating dinner before everyone started asking us to cut the cake.

Here we go.....

Wayne and I get the first peek....

We both had a feeling what color the cake would be....but it was still a surprise nonetheless!

And the verdict....

PINK!!  Another sweet little girl!

We brought along the envelope the sonogram tech gave us so that we could open it up and see the sonogram picture for ourselves...

Let me  see that better....where does she say the girl parts are?  I can't see anything!

We truly were disappointed with the sonogram pictures.  You couldn't make out a thing really.  Basically, you saw a blob with the word girl typed out.  Nothing special.  It didn't do much to ease our minds especially after being told at an earlier sonogram that it was more than likely a boy.  Odds are we're having another girl since we have two already, but we think we'll go ahead and get that 4D Sonogram around Christmas just to be on the safe side ;)

Until then or unless we find out differently....

Yay for girls!! 

We love our girls, and we'd be tickled pink with another pretty little lady in our family.

Thanks to everyone who came to help celebrate with us.  It really was a fun night, and we enjoyed having you all share in that moment with us (even if it was nerve-wracking!).  BIG thank you to Julie for taking all the pictures for us.  We love the memories we made, and we appreciate you capturing each one for us.

Love you guys!

Halloween 2011

We were sooo rushed, but we managed to have fun anyway!  Here's my pretty little mermaid and precious pirate princess :)

And here's how they looked the morning after trick-or-treating...exhausted but adorable!

I LOVE that Makenzie is soo sweet to her little sister.  Every morning for the last few weeks, she has gone into Presley's room, climbed into bed with her to snuggle, and given her sweet kisses to wake her up.  They really are the best of friends (most days!).

The Hens Are Laying!!

Several months ago, I decided that I'd like to get some hens so that we could have some fresh eggs.  You should have seen Wayne's face when I suggested this! What? I'm from the country...I'm not opposed to having chickens.  I'm just not going into the coop with them! LOL...I did some research and found a coop design to suit me, and then I had my sweet hubby build it for me.  Some generous friends of ours let us have 4 of their young hens (pullets that had not started laying yet), and we brought them home and have babied them ever since.  The girls named them Mable, Mazie, Betsy, and Alice.  We check on them twice a day, and the girls LOVE checking to see if they've laid any eggs. 

After two LONG (according to the girls) weeks of waiting, the girls finally found a surprise waiting on them this afternoon!  I'm sooo glad I was able to capture this moment on video thanks to my cell phone!  It's too cute not to share...enjoy!

Our first small egg....can't wait to see more of them!

Our 4 little ladies are Buff Orpingtons, but this weekend we'll be adding 10 lovely White Leghorns to our brood.  I never in a million years thought I'd want to have chickens, but I'm so glad I gave it a try.  The hens are great...very docile, and they let the girls pet them.  They even eat out of the girls' hands!  Such fun!



15 Week Appointment

We heard the heartbeat today, and it was relatively slow at 146 (hmmm...).  It took the Dr. FOREVER to find it which of course made me a nervous wreck.  After she searched for it for awhile, I thought to mention that I'd been feeling the baby move higher up to the left.  She moved the doppler up to where I showed her and landed right on the heartbeat!  Guess Moms know best lol.

Everything looks great with baby so far, and I am super excited to get our ultrasound at next month's appointment.  Sooo ready for another peek at my sweet baby!

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us so far!  We are feeling super loved and extremely blessed!

Jess

And Baby Makes Five....

What happens when everything falls into place for me...both kids are in school, I have a great job to go to, things are pretty stress-free and going smoothly?  Well, I end up pregnant, that's what!  Talk about a surprise! 

Two weeks after starting my new job, we found out that we were expecting again.  I truly believe God has a sense of humor, and I know he probably laughs at me on a daily basis.  He has shown me over and over that my plans are not always His plans and no matter how hard I try to plan out every little detail in my life, He is the one in control.  After going through the loss of our baby in February and dealing with the hormone problems that came from that, I had pretty much made up my mind NOT to try to get pregnant again right now.  God had a different plan in mind however, and despite our best efforts, we found ourselves pregnant with baby #3 (technically 4 I should say).  What an exciting, happy surprise-and a bit scary too!  I, of course, was immediately nervous and fearful, but if I've learned nothing else throughout the past few months, it's that I have to place my faith and hope in God and give it all to Him.  And that's just what I did.  I didn't even schedule a Dr. appointment until I was 11 weeks along because I knew whatever was going to happen would happen. 

The Dr. appointment went great. I felt so tremendously blessed when I saw this:

And hearing that precious heartbeat...oh, I loved every minute of it!  I got to see little arms and legs moving around everywhere!  I hate this pic is from the back and you can't see those sweet legs kicking.  It's safe to say I'm in love all over again, and I can't wait to meet this sweet little one that I consider such a gift.

Our girls are beyond excited.  They have prayed every single night for a baby brother (and we continually remind them to pray for a healthy BABY lol).  I don't think they realize what they're asking for when they say brother, but if it turns out to be a little boy, and he is terrorizing them in a couple of years, I will definitely be sure to remind them that they asked for him!

Baby #3 is due March 20th, and we are counting down the days!

First Day of School

It is sooo hard to believe both of my babies are old enough to be in school.  Breaks my heart!  They however were MORE than ready to go.  Presley was sooo excited about her first day despite my fears that she would cling to me and scream for me not to leave her (ok..wishful thinking on my part...well maybe not entirely).  In the end, I really was grateful that she did so well.  I don't know that I would have been able to leave her otherwise.  I would have probably snatched her right back out of there and kept her home with me another year! 

When we got out of the car to go inside, Presley looked at me and said, "Hold my hand and don't leave me until I say."  To which I replied, "Yes, ma'am." LOL!  We walked inside and Presley found her teacher and was introduced to some of her classmates.  She took her seat, waved, and said, "Ok Mom, you can go now."  What?  Wait...I'm not ready to go yet! Makenzie thankfully walked up at that point and took my hand and told me that she still wanted me to stay.  Who would have thought my older, more independant child would be the one to ask me to stay? Both girls were settled all too soon, and I made the lonely walk back out the door.  Thankfully, I did NOT have to go home to an empty house and mope for the rest of the day.  Both girls going to school allowed me to go back to work full-time, and I have to say I was very grateful for a job to go to that morning.  It took my mind off my babies for a few hours, and when I picked them up that afternoon I couldn't wait to hear about all of the exciting things they did.

Beach Vacation 2011

Ok...so it has only taken me a month to get this post written.  Can you tell we've been busy?  Here are the long overdue pictures from our "Girls" trip to the beach (plus Tucker...poor little boy).  My friend Julie invited the girls and I to go with her and her oldest little boy to the beach, and we jumped at the chance for some fun in the sun.  Poor Daddy got left at home, but he was such a sweetie to let us go on without him.

The kids had sooo much fun together! We took them to the zoo one day, and it was so neat.  They had animal encounters where you could pay a few dollars and actually go in with the animals. 

Petting zoo

Makenzie riding a camel

Baby kangaroos...they were sooo cute, and the girls just LOVED playing with and holding them.

Sometimes Change Can Be Good!

As you can see, Ramblings has a new look thanks to Ms. Danielle Designs.  We've also changed the name of the blog a bit.  Life seems to constantly change us.  New life experiences or adventures seem to be ever-present, and if we are willing to walk by faith and let God lead us, then there is no end to the blessings we will receive along the way.

I have been away from the blog for some time now (as much as I hated it), but it was a necessary break with everything my family has had going on the last few months.  I have much to blog about needless to say!  I will be trying to catch up on posts over the next week or so as I have the time.

An update on our family:

The girls and I took a mini vacation to the beach in July with a good friend and her son.  The kids had a GREAT time and had some awesome experiences while we were there.  Pictures to come soon!

I just got back from convention in Minneapolis, MN.  I was able to visit with the ladies I partner with for my home business, and oh my goodness did we learn alot! 

Makenzie and Presley started school yesterday.  I can't believe BOTH of my girls are in school now!  Where has the time gone? Presley LOVED school and couldn't wait to go back so I am thanking God for that! LOL...I was a bit nervous as to how she would do. 

Since the girls are both in school, I decided to go back to work full-time.  I was offered a position at our local university in Admissions, and I have to say I'm enjoying it.  Working full-time and running a business from home has been quite an experience, but I'm sure everything will settle soon, and I'll be able to gain some sort of balance lol.  Thank goodness for awesome business partners who are willing to step in and help out!  Having a business that provides additional income and now a full-time income as well is going to be huge for our family.  I'm looking forward to what the future has in store for us!

I've got to get to work now, but I will have more posts up soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

Jessica

Creation By Design Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Rose @ Walnut Grove!!!

You have won the first book in the Xander Nash Series!!! I have sent you an email asking for your mailing address.  Please respond within 48 hours.

Thanks for participating!! Enjoy your new book!



Uprinting.com Giveaway Winner!

We have a winner for the Uprinting.com giveaway!

Congrats to:

Mama Ewers!!!

An email has been sent, and you should be receiving an additional email from our sponsor shortly.

Thanks so much for participating!!

Jessica

New Giveaway Sponsored by Uprinting.com!

Uprinting.com is a great resource for all your printing needs.  The site has so many neat ways for small businesses to market themselves including business cards, labels, and even wall art.  Uprinting.com has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway for you guys!  So hurry over to their website and take a look! You're going to LOVE all the fun things you can create!

The winner of this giveaway will receive:

250 Stickers
2" x 3.5"
70lb Label Matte and Front Only Printing with a 4 Business Day Turnaround

You can choose from these sheet labels or view the standard label templates.

How to enter:

Mandatory Entry:

 Visit  Uprinting.com and leave a comment telling me an item they have that you would love to purchase. (1 entry)

Optional Entries:

1.  Follow Uprinting.com on Facebook  and leave your Facebook name (1 entry)

2.  Follow Uprinting.com on Twitter and leave Twitter ID (1 entry)

3.  Join Giveaway Blogs (1 entry)

4.  Follow Ramblings Via GFC (1 entry)

5.  Follow Ramblings on Facebook (1 entry)

6.  Follow Ramblings on Twitter (1 entry)

7.  Tweet about this Giveaway (1 entry daily-provide link to tweet)

8.  Blog about this Giveaway (3 entries- provide link to post)

9.  Promote this giveaway on Facebook (1 entry daily)

Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end at midnight on July 23, 2011.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted by email.  Winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.  Please make sure to leave your email address for each entry and also make a separate comment for each entry.  An entry without a valid email address will not count!

Good luck everybody!!

**This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive labels  for hosting. Check out standard label templates on UPrinting.com.

Creation By Design Review and Giveaway!

As a mom, I am always looking for educational and fun things for my children, and as a mom who loves to read, books are at the top of my list.  When picking out books for my girls I love to see stories that incorporate life lessons or morals.  Today, when so many terrible things are going on in our world, I do all I can do to reinforce goodness, love, and kindness.  I want our girls to learn how to treat others with respect and learn forgivness and mercy. 

We were recently introduced to a Company called Creation By Design that has everything from printable Bible coloring sheets to books to Bible trading cards.  We were able to try the Xander Nash book series, and as I mentioned before, my girls LOVE books.  After the first few pages they were hooked, and were constantly asking me to read to them.  We read a chapter before naptime and another at bedtime. 

Xander Nash is a little boy who travels back in time to the creation of the earth in book one.  The reader follows him through days one through six, and Xander has adventure after adventure that leaves kids sitting on the edge of their seats.  My girls would groan everytime I put the book away.  We could have read the whole first book in a day if it were up to them, but I wanted it to be something they looked forward to each day, and I have to say, I've never seen them so excited for nap or bedtime!

In fact, I came into the living room one afternoon to see this.  Makenzie was tired of waiting around to see what happened next in the story and decided she'd just read it for herself!  She's only five, but she's been reading small words since before Christmas.  I was worried some of the words in this book would be difficult for her to read on her own, but she actually did really well with it.  The printing is big, and there are pictures along the way.  Overall, a perfect book for kids 5-12 in my opinion! 

We're currently reading the 2nd book in the series which deals with jealousy and sibling rivalry as Xander travels back in time to Egypt, and my girls can't wait for the 3rd book which continues in Egypt with a lesson on stubborness.  I love that these books teach life lessons while still providing the intrigue, adventure, and excitement that keep my girls wanting to hear/read more!

You can purchase the Xander Nash Series at the Creation By Design website for those of us in MS.  For others of you around the country, there is a retail store locater that you can use to see if there are stores in your area that carry the book or again, just simply purchase directly from the website.

I'm excited to announce...

Creation By Design has been kind enough to offer to host a giveaway!  One lucky reader will receive a FREE copy of book one in the Xander Nash series! 

Here's how the giveaway will work:

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Creation By Design and leave a comment telling me what item you'd purchase from the site.

Extra Entries:

Friend Creation By Design on Facebook and tell them Ramblings sent you! (1 entry)

Follow Creation By Design on Twitter ( 1 entry)

Follow Ramblings via GFC (1 entry)

Follow Ramblings on Facebook (1 entry)

Follow Ramblings on Twitter (1 entry)

Tweet about this giveaway and leave a link to your tweet (1 entry per day)

Promote this giveaway on Facebook and leave a link to your feed (3 entries)

Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post (5 entries)

Please leave a comment for each entry.  You MUST leave a valid email address with your entry so that we can contact you if you win.  The giveaway is open to US residents only and will end July 31st at 12:00 pm CST.  A winner will be chosen via random.org and will be emailed shortly thereafter.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!!

**No compensation was received for this post.  A product was given for review, but all opions are mine alone.

Gripstic Review

 My husband likes to eat a few chips with Salsa sometimes in the afternoon to hold him over until dinner.  I'm constantly looking for "clips" for potato chip bags to keep them fresh after they've been opened.  The problem I run into is that I don't like to buy the clips because they're so bulky and take up so much space.  We never have enough, and I can't seem to find them when I need them.

Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to receive The Gripstic in the mail to try out.  The Gripstic is slim so it stores easily and doesn't take up much space, it keeps food fresh, and it's extremely cost efficient. 

**Photo courtesy of www.gripstic.com

The Gripstic comes in several different sizes.  It's only one piece so it's as simple as sliding it onto the bag to lock moisture out and keep foods fresh.

Here's one way we used The Gripstic! I also used them to seal a plastic bag that contained raisins my daughter had for a snack as well as some salad we had one night for dinner.  The Gripstic kept all of our food fresh, and the salad kept longer than it normally does.

You can find The Gripstic at local chain retailers like Kroger, Publix, Winn Dixie, and Bed Bath & Beyond just to name a few.  They retail for $3.99 a piece! 

 Go grab yourself some today!

**This was not a paid advertisement.  I received no compensation for this post.  I did receive the product to try for free, but all opinions are my own.



Book Review: Tasting Rain by Kim Malchuk copyright 2011

**book cover courtesy of fivestarpublications.com

If you have ever experienced personal loss whether it be the loss of a loved one or simply the loss of your dreams, you have most assuredly felt like you were literally at the end of your rope.  The devastation and confusion, loneliness and grief all seem to suck the life right out of you.  Questions like “Why did this happen to me?”, “What am I supposed to do now?”, and maybe even “Does God hate me?” seem to be never-ending thoughts that cross our minds.

In Kim Malchuk’s book “Tasting Rain”, we are told a story of sadness and loss, hurt and frustration.  Malchuk shares her thoughts and her story in such a way that makes one feel as though she is speaking directly to them.  We are privy to her thoughts and feelings as she faces a journey many of us pray we never have to endure.  Her heartache, perseverance, and ultimate joy for life are truly an inspiration to readers. 

The common theme for Malchuk is optimism and positive thinking.  Life is all about choices.  Choosing to live your life to the fullest each day no matter what obstacles you may face will lead you to a life of happiness and joy.  Life is hard.  It is not perfect.  We can choose to let negativity weigh us down or we can make a choice each day to wake up with a smile on our face and hope that our decisions lead us in a positive direction.  A positive outcome can come from any negative situation.  We should treasure each day we are given and make the most of it.  Most importantly, we should take the time to stop and “taste the rain”.

You can read "Tasting Rain" yourself by purchasing this book at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.  It's a great weekend read, and it will leave you with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.

**This was not a paid review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.  I did receive a copy of this book for review purposes.

Babymoon in Ashville, NC

When we found out we were pregnant in January, Wayne and I joked around that we better take a babymoon before another baby joined our family and we went back to sleepless nights lol. After losing the baby we still felt it would be great to have some adult time, just the 2 of us.  Sooo, my parents were kind enough to take the girls back home with them after our time in Gatlinburg, and Wayne and I drove on to North Carolina.  The drive was AWESOME.  We took the scenic route through the mountains into Cherokee, NC, and we left at 6 am that morning so the fog was just beginning to lift on the mountains.  It really was breathtaking.  I think Wayne pulled over and told me to take pictures every ten minutes lol.  I thought we'd never make it to North Carolina!

I reserved a room in Ashville at a brand new hotel about a mile from the Biltmore.  Thanks to our saver's guide I got the room for a GREAT price.  When I checked the price of a King room with a whirlpool tub on one website, it listed it for $249 a night, but I checked the actual hotel's website today, and the price was $139 a night.  BUT I only paid $86!! Whoo hoo!!  And the room was WONDERFUL! The whirpool was HUGE, and we loved it.  For more information on how YOU can save money on shopping, vacations, etc., email me for information.  I'll be glad to call you and explain how it all works.

We spent the entire next day touring the Biltmore. It was beautiful, and we had a really good time.

We arrived early-as soon as they opened- and were able to be among the first to enter the house for the tour.  I highly recommend purchasing the audio guide. You have to pay $10 per person more for the audio, but it's well worth it.  We were able to tour the house at our leisure and really take the time to look at everything.  It wasn't crowded since we were there so early, and I think we spent anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 hours in the house itself.

After leaving the house, we decided to look around the gardens.  They were really pretty, but it was a hike! If you decide to walk the gardens be prepared! We ended up turning around before going all the way down to the bass pond because we were HOT and thirsty lol. 

We ate lunch at the Stable Cafe, and our cousin Jan suggested we have the hamburgers so we did.  They were YUMMY! I thought Wayne would flip when he saw the bill though lol.  Two burgers with fries and two drinks cost us over $40.  It's safe to say the Biltmore made a good bit of money off of us that day lol.

After lunch we headed back to the car and visited Antler Hill Village and the Winery for the rest of the day.  The village is so neat, and we enjoyed the barn/animals as well as the tour and tasting at the winery. 

Overall, a very neat place to visit if you ever get the chance.  The history behind this home is great, and it's amazing that they were able to build it and have the luxuries they did at that point in time.

The two days we spent in Ashville were definitely not enough! There were so many other things we wanted to do and didn't have time for like zip lining, white water rafting, and a visit to the farmer's market.  On our way home, we did get to stop in GA to get to meet the newest addition to the Morgan family, little Miss Skylar.  She is such a sweetie, and it was great to get to visit with everyone!

A great ending to an awesome vacation :)