walking in a winter wonderland or i come from the land of ice and snow

greetings sorry it has been a bit since i posted, but you see i have been stranded in the land of Oz. no seriously, i have been stuck in Garden City, KS in a blizzard. they got roughly 20 inches they think. it happened something like this. hubby says "they say that we are under a blizzard watch, but I'm pretty sure with the new tires on the car i can make it home Friday after my meeting." I'm thinking are you nuts? he grew up in the Austin area, so i blame his lack of fear on the lack of snow growing up. i asked if he would like the family to travel with him, knowing that he wouldn't put us in the same danger he would himself, so off to Kansas we went. well the blizzard did indeed arrive and 20 inches of snow and drifts that covered horse trailers, we were still there. on Saturday morning there was fear of impending doom if we didn't escape, so we continued to check road conditions. they finally opened a road out of Garden City, so off we went. by the way highway 83 wasn't open for the entire stretch of the drive, but we figured if there wasn't a barricade then we were free to drive. it was an experience i hope to never have again. the girls thought it was great "daddy do roller coaster car more" was the cheer from the backseat. in other news my doctor's appointment went very well. the sonogram was...informative. at 32 weeks my darling little Q is measuring at 35 and 4 days. his head alone measures at 39 weeks and 4 days. they estimate his weight at 5 lbs. 11 oz. i know that sonograms can be off a pound in either direction. if he is 4 lbs. 11 oz. then he is a normal size kiddo. however, i don't want to think about the other direction. he is healthy and looks great no problems at all. my blood pressure is still normal, which is amazing because she took it right after i was told the size of my kid. i have finished 9 pair of booties and will be sending them today. her heiness awakens so i must go. hope to write again soon.

working 9 to 5

so while catching up on blogs and mail i have read several things that have me going hmmm. as you all know i am a SAHM, some days this is easier than others. one of my biggest pet peeves about my current occupation is the "mommy wars". who came up with that crap? most of my friends who have kiddos, well they work outside the home as well as inside it. does my lack of a paycheck make me a less valuable commodity to the world? I'm not begging for comments about "what an amazing choice you made". i honestly want to know why it is assumed that all "soccer moms" are vacuous dingbats? seriously folks i have a bachelor's degree, and i graduated with honors. it is interesting because i have never thought less of a mom who works outside her home. i also don't think that they are superior just because they made that choice. i read an article yesterday about how to handle the question "you're still at home?" this is of course after all of your dear darlings have headed into the world of academia. i am not as brave/gifted/crazy as some of my SAHM compatriots who choose to home school. seriously i wasn't gifted in that field. i don't volunteer at our church for children's teaching or nursery duty either, in case you wondered. i love my kiddos and adore being home with them, but i just don't think I'm cut out for the teacher biz. so why is it assumed that you are needed less at home when your kids go to school. does the laundry suddenly do itself? do meals spontaneously cook themselves? I'm kind of excited about the extra time i will have to do things like craft with out interruption, garden in the morning when it's cool, exercise, or read a book. i know it sounds a bit selfish, but hey maybe that will be the paycheck I've been waiting for. the wee one stirs and is demanding her father who happens to be in pampa this morning.

if i go crazy then will you still call me superman?

the trip was....good? i adore my husband, but when he gets into work mode...well he is a little difficult to deal with. now imagine 1400 miles in one week with two kiddos in tow. the girls had a great time swimming in the indoor pools and playing putt putt. i am feeling a bit...harried? we got back in time to go to XXX's birthday party. what a grand time it was. her heiness was so excited to get to see the family of pattylicious. both of the girls were having serious withdrawals. this is short because i have many things on my plate currently and i need to get them finished. i hope everyone had a great week and i hope to be posting later.

i ain't got no season pass

last night was....difficult at best. i was very proud that i didn't let my temper get the best of me. i walked away long before i said anything that i would regret, or at least be told that i should regret. i got to talk to the hubby last night and he said things are busy at the conference. it is very chilly here in the town with out a frown this morning. it is a balmy 27 outside, but when you add the wind it feels like it's 20. almost tropical i tell you. they keep promising snow, but i don't believe them anymore and am no longer getting my hopes up. i just finished a yellow pair of booties to send to the audrey caroline baskets of love project. I'm hoping to get the booties in the mail week after next. before her heiness gets too cranky here's my thankful list.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. learning to control my temper- this is no easy thing mind you. especially when you add the hormones of pregnancy.

2. my solarium- we are trying a mostly indoor garden this year. last year the wind blew so hard that we just couldn't keep everything watered enough, so everything withered and died.

3. my children- often they are the only thing that keeps me completely grounded.

4. the future- what an exciting few months are ahead. Q will be here in 8 weeks or less. we have a sono on the 26th to estimate his size.

5. knitting- it keeps my hands busy while riding in the car with the hubby

6. portable DVD players- never been a big fan of them, but her heiness HATES to be in the car. these seem to help things a lot. we are going to be traveling with the hubby for spring break, so i hope that she will be at least somewhat content in the car.

7. little mementos of happiness- currently drinking coffee out of the yellow coffee cup my hubby bought me the day after we got married. love this cup.

8. dirty little hands- the girls love to "help" with the garden. her heiness helped us plant the seeds and monkey packed the dirt in the cups. when we were finished there were little dirty hands to remind me of how wonderful my helpers are.

9. my babysitter- if you read yesterday's post do i really need to add anything? how about how at church last night she says "if you need any help while your hubby is gone just give me a call and let me know." I'm so stealing her.

10. 1/2 & 1/2 in my coffee- it was the one indulgence that i couldn't give up when i was on weight watchers. love the yumminess.

11. friends- pattylicious who listened to me complain about my bad night on her most important day. thanks, you rock. my SIL who called to check on me because i hadn't blogged or called, and she was concerned about me. good to know I'm thought about, thanks you rock. amazon, who doesn't read this, but needs to be bragged on anyway. she waited to share her good news until she was sure i had calmed down enough that i wasn't going to send myself into preterm labor. oh yeah i was that upset.

12. dependable transportation- love my van

13. baby clothes- they are so sweet. amazon picked up a couple of things for Q, and a shirt for each of the girls. really too funny.

14. my budget- really don't know how people function with out one.

15. my cell phone- really it is amazing. monkey had a solo at church on Sunday, so i recorded it on my phone.

16. monster spray- not sure where her heiness came up with monsters in the dark, but she is terrified of them. in a stroke of genius i decided to get some old body spray and spray the monsters away. she got to say the magic words "go away monsters" then i would spray the smelly good, and all the monsters disappeared. she slept soundly with out issue. apparently when she woke up and still smelled the spray she knew she was still safe.

17. lotion- all of the family has been suffering from extremely dry skin due to the lack of humidity.

18. my washer & dryer- they make my life so much easier.

19. snuggling with the girls- monkey is mostly passed the snuggle stage, but her heiness is all about the snuggle.

20. learning to trust in God- i have learned that when i try to do things my way they rarely work the way i hope they will, but when i hand them over they work out great. not always in my time, but in His.

what are you thankful for? answered prayers, a trip to see family, getting better, rain on dry land? i hope everyone has a great weekend, and i will try to post next week from the road. oh and don't forget "BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH!!!"

it's a hazy shade of winter

just a note to let everyone know that i am alive and well. sorry i have been MIA, but things have been a little busy around here. i had an appointment on Thursday, and fully intended on writing my thankful Thursday list after i got home. well....the hubby needed to be in garden city, ks that evening, so he asked if monkey could play hooky from school and then the family could travel with. hey why not sounds good to me, so we left as soon as we got home from the doctor. monkey was way excited to get to miss a day of school for no reason. the appointment went well, even the glucose test. the doc did say that if the weird contraction things pick up or happen more than 6 an hour i am to get to the hospital, something about preterm labor. she said that if being up and active makes them worse i should sit down and take it easy. well, i have been doing my best to take it easy. the hubby took it easy this Monday and Tuesday and hung out with the family because he is in Addison from this morning until Sunday morning. have i mentioned that i have the world's best babysitter? seriously SHE ROCKS. she called Monday to ask if i would need her for belly dancing class, the hubby explained that i would not because i was taking a break until fall. amazon, my belly dancing partner, got a new job that isn't conducive to class and the weird belly things frighten me. my babysitter asks if the hubby and i would like some time to ourselves because she already cleaned her house and did her chores so she could babysit. you don't need to twist my arm, so out we went. we got coffee and walked around barnes & noble for a few hours before returning home. when we walked in the door she had the "cat that ate the canary" look on her face as she was loading the dishwasher. she had already swept and mopped the floor, had monkey clean and vacuum her room, made sure the girls were bathed and ready for bed. she is unbelievable. today is pattylicous' birthday so go wish her a happy birthday.