Last night, while sleeping peacefully, I heard my guitar strum at around 4 AM. I was a little hazy from being sleepy and then I realized, "What made that noise?! How could anything but a human hand STRUM on my guitar?!". I was a little scared out of my wits for a while and refused to turn my back to the guitar. But I didn't see anyone in my house and when I worked up the courage to turn my cell phone light on and investigate a little, I still saw nothing. I was in a complex all morning wondering what on earth made the strumming noise!!!! And no, it wasn't part of my dream...
Well, I got up around 7:30 and realized that baby Titan was still sleeping. So, with my increasingly shrinking bladder, I headed to the pot. As I'm about to take a seat, I see HIM. Mr. Cockroach, relaxing his little life away in my bathtub. By the way- the cockroaches here are bigger than I've ever seen them. Forget the "Everything's bigger in Texas" saying. It doesn't apply to bugs. I got a cup and a piece of paper, scooped him up and sent him FLYING across the hallway in front of my front door. He came scrambling back my direction but I have yet to see him. I wondered if he had been the one who dinked the guitar in the night (or was possibly inside it...gross).
Oh well. The bug man is coming tomorrow so BYE BYE COCKROACHES.
On a more positive note, I put Titan to bed earlier than usual just to see if he'd sleep longer (it has always worked in the past). He slept from 7 pm to 9 am! It was great. I was up for an hour and a half, just reading a book and relaxing until I heard him. He woke up SO happy and I have to say- I will be putting him to bed at 7 more often. Try it! I think a lot of moms keep their kids up later because they think they'll be extra exhausted and sleep in later. But I think kids get overly tired and end up getting crummier, shorter sleep when they stay up late. And he is going on his 3rd hour of nap, which is why I can blog!
Hope everyone's well- expect more posts soon!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Why I Love Aparments.
Why I Love Apartments:
1. The added workout your arm gets when the front door doesn't close quite right.
2. The cute, adorable little beetles crawling across your carpet as you get ready for bed.
3. The common sensical way the bathroom and bedroom door open so that only one can be open at a time or they collide.
4. The graceful way the closet, patio screen and sliding pantry door come derailed on a regular basis.
5. The leg exercises that are seen through to the end by going up at least one floor of stairs every time you return home from anywhere.
6. The music the refrigerator plays beautifully at midnight so that you have to get up and whack it with a shoe. It's a great pregnant woman's alarm clock for the midnight snack.
7. The speedy cooking the oven does- because it's so old, I mean because it's such an antique, that it bakes things at 100* higher than it says it does.
8. The way the walls are so thin- it allows for them to breathe. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. You can lay naked with your honey in the summer, or snuggle up to him with a wubby in the winter. Everyone wins.
9. The gorgeous 6' x 10' mirror on the wall that allows you to watch TV from almost anywhere in the apartment.
10. The classy mini-blinds hung on every window that allow your children to bend them in artistic ways to make your apartment look like an even cozier, classier place to abide.
11. The heavenly white carpet that ends up serving as a collage of all the things you dropped, stomped on, spilled or drug through the apartment.
12. The pipe in the wall that serves as a mister on that hot summer day when it gets punctured with a nail while trying to hang a picture, because the pipe was not properly placed.
13. The glorious odor of mold that really wakes you up in the morning when you take a shower. Helps people save money on coffee or other awakening substances.
14. The convenient lacking of light fixtures and/or ceiling fans in the bedrooms when living in a city whose temperatures reach well over 100*. It's nice when someone at least includes a BYOL or BYOCF in the contract. (Bring Your Own Lamp/Bring Your Own Ceiling Fan)
15. The amount of calories you burn while dragging 3 loads of laundry to the laundry facility. And the mental relaxation time you get to have by hanging all of your clothes across your house because the dryer didn't do its job.
There are so many things I love about apartments. So...what's your apartment like?!
1. The added workout your arm gets when the front door doesn't close quite right.
2. The cute, adorable little beetles crawling across your carpet as you get ready for bed.
3. The common sensical way the bathroom and bedroom door open so that only one can be open at a time or they collide.
4. The graceful way the closet, patio screen and sliding pantry door come derailed on a regular basis.
5. The leg exercises that are seen through to the end by going up at least one floor of stairs every time you return home from anywhere.
6. The music the refrigerator plays beautifully at midnight so that you have to get up and whack it with a shoe. It's a great pregnant woman's alarm clock for the midnight snack.
7. The speedy cooking the oven does- because it's so old, I mean because it's such an antique, that it bakes things at 100* higher than it says it does.
8. The way the walls are so thin- it allows for them to breathe. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. You can lay naked with your honey in the summer, or snuggle up to him with a wubby in the winter. Everyone wins.
9. The gorgeous 6' x 10' mirror on the wall that allows you to watch TV from almost anywhere in the apartment.
10. The classy mini-blinds hung on every window that allow your children to bend them in artistic ways to make your apartment look like an even cozier, classier place to abide.
11. The heavenly white carpet that ends up serving as a collage of all the things you dropped, stomped on, spilled or drug through the apartment.
12. The pipe in the wall that serves as a mister on that hot summer day when it gets punctured with a nail while trying to hang a picture, because the pipe was not properly placed.
13. The glorious odor of mold that really wakes you up in the morning when you take a shower. Helps people save money on coffee or other awakening substances.
14. The convenient lacking of light fixtures and/or ceiling fans in the bedrooms when living in a city whose temperatures reach well over 100*. It's nice when someone at least includes a BYOL or BYOCF in the contract. (Bring Your Own Lamp/Bring Your Own Ceiling Fan)
15. The amount of calories you burn while dragging 3 loads of laundry to the laundry facility. And the mental relaxation time you get to have by hanging all of your clothes across your house because the dryer didn't do its job.
There are so many things I love about apartments. So...what's your apartment like?!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Floating in Limbo and the ride is okay.
I still haven't heard from my hubs quite yet but that's okay because I have to remember that he'd call if he could. It's just that any time I get a call from an unknown number, I answer it now! And I'm not always pleased with the results. For example, I purposely accepted a collect call and guess who was on the other side? A man at a penitentiary named Mark who apologized that he had called the wrong number. I should have just had a nice chat with Mark and let him know how disappointed I was that he was not Derek. Then again, I wouldn't want Derek calling me from a penitentiary...
Titan and I are learning to get along. Should that even happen?! I mean, I carried his little string bean of a fetus around until he became a little guy, kicking and flipping and waking me up and giving me heartburn for 9 months! And now he won't kiss me, won't even let me kiss him half the time!, he screams at me, even kicks me!, throws himself on the floor, won't eat, whines, and the list would just go on until you're all half asleep. I guess he and I are both adjusting and it's just the two of us so we have to make do! As if we are 2 four year olds trying to make up after a fight...
Nevertheless, we've gotten ourselves into little routines and that makes life easier. I drug our laundry basket, the soap and Titan in our big red wagon down to the laundry room this morning (by the way I live on the 2nd floor so I think I deserve at least a pat on the back for hauling all kinds of things downstairs, then back UP stairs!), then we dropped off daddy's letter in the mailbox. We tooted on over to the playground and swung on the swings where Titan would go "weeeeee" the entire time and smile at me which I loved. We played on the slides, then back to the laundry room to switch it out. THEN back home.
I'm finding that the little things make a difference with kids. They don't always want to watch TV, or read books, or play with the same old toys they see everyday. But walking outside never gets old! Looking at trees, ducks, dogs walking, cars passing... too bad the heat is so unbearable.
Next week Titan and I are taking our first airplane ride together. We are going back to El Paso for a week just for fun. (Or because I was super depressed last week and couldn't stand the thought of being alone so I bought a ticket...) I'm excited to see some familiar faces and to see what Titan things of an airplane ride!
I'm hoping Derek can reach us somehow- even if it's just a letter! I feel like I'm floating in Limbo. But this week has been so great. The ride is okay and I've almost got 2 weeks under my belt of Derek being gone! Thanks guys for making things easy for me. Lots of you have either called me, texted me or messaged me on Facebook to keep me busy! This pity party is dying out and I'm glad! What a drag it is to have sad friends. Thanks for putting up with me for a week! I love you guys!
Titan and I are learning to get along. Should that even happen?! I mean, I carried his little string bean of a fetus around until he became a little guy, kicking and flipping and waking me up and giving me heartburn for 9 months! And now he won't kiss me, won't even let me kiss him half the time!, he screams at me, even kicks me!, throws himself on the floor, won't eat, whines, and the list would just go on until you're all half asleep. I guess he and I are both adjusting and it's just the two of us so we have to make do! As if we are 2 four year olds trying to make up after a fight...
Nevertheless, we've gotten ourselves into little routines and that makes life easier. I drug our laundry basket, the soap and Titan in our big red wagon down to the laundry room this morning (by the way I live on the 2nd floor so I think I deserve at least a pat on the back for hauling all kinds of things downstairs, then back UP stairs!), then we dropped off daddy's letter in the mailbox. We tooted on over to the playground and swung on the swings where Titan would go "weeeeee" the entire time and smile at me which I loved. We played on the slides, then back to the laundry room to switch it out. THEN back home.
I'm finding that the little things make a difference with kids. They don't always want to watch TV, or read books, or play with the same old toys they see everyday. But walking outside never gets old! Looking at trees, ducks, dogs walking, cars passing... too bad the heat is so unbearable.
Next week Titan and I are taking our first airplane ride together. We are going back to El Paso for a week just for fun. (Or because I was super depressed last week and couldn't stand the thought of being alone so I bought a ticket...) I'm excited to see some familiar faces and to see what Titan things of an airplane ride!
I'm hoping Derek can reach us somehow- even if it's just a letter! I feel like I'm floating in Limbo. But this week has been so great. The ride is okay and I've almost got 2 weeks under my belt of Derek being gone! Thanks guys for making things easy for me. Lots of you have either called me, texted me or messaged me on Facebook to keep me busy! This pity party is dying out and I'm glad! What a drag it is to have sad friends. Thanks for putting up with me for a week! I love you guys!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Bang, Bang!
Happy Fourth of July. This weekend has been hopping!
Thank you to all who have kept me in your thoughts in prayers because I have been fortunate enough to be invited places by people I've recently met- and it has kept my mind and body busy! Away from the weepy, lonely moments of late.
Saturday, Fort Benning hosted a HUGE extravaganza. At 3 pm, they had an entire field dedicated to families with kids. There were free sippy cups, free candy, free t-shirts, and free events. Bun-jee jumper things, blow up bouncers for kids and TONS of food. There was roasted corn on the cob, funnel cakes, and even homemade sodas (I guess those are famous here- called Hillbilly's Homemade Sodas). We scorched ourselves out in the Georgia heat for only an hour and a half and thought we were going to die. We even had cold Gatorade and shaved ice to cool us off! Here are some pictures:
Look at all those soldiers! It was so cool to see them all. Some in vests with guns, walking the Military Police dog, some in orange reflector vests, some with their OCS neck scarfs on...so cool.
I tell you- I have lived in Arizona where I walked ONE MILE to the University of Arizona from my parking space and ONE MILE back to my car in the 110 degree weather with 50 pounds of books and NOTHING is as hot as this crazy Georgia sun with its humidity. Holy cow.
We have had fun so far this weekend. We went to a BBQ at some member's of our ward's house after we left Ft. Benning. And today we have a BBQ at some other friends' house! But still no word from Derek...
Happy Independence Day, everyone.
Thank you to all who have kept me in your thoughts in prayers because I have been fortunate enough to be invited places by people I've recently met- and it has kept my mind and body busy! Away from the weepy, lonely moments of late.
Saturday, Fort Benning hosted a HUGE extravaganza. At 3 pm, they had an entire field dedicated to families with kids. There were free sippy cups, free candy, free t-shirts, and free events. Bun-jee jumper things, blow up bouncers for kids and TONS of food. There was roasted corn on the cob, funnel cakes, and even homemade sodas (I guess those are famous here- called Hillbilly's Homemade Sodas). We scorched ourselves out in the Georgia heat for only an hour and a half and thought we were going to die. We even had cold Gatorade and shaved ice to cool us off! Here are some pictures:
Look at all those soldiers! It was so cool to see them all. Some in vests with guns, walking the Military Police dog, some in orange reflector vests, some with their OCS neck scarfs on...so cool.
I tell you- I have lived in Arizona where I walked ONE MILE to the University of Arizona from my parking space and ONE MILE back to my car in the 110 degree weather with 50 pounds of books and NOTHING is as hot as this crazy Georgia sun with its humidity. Holy cow.
We have had fun so far this weekend. We went to a BBQ at some member's of our ward's house after we left Ft. Benning. And today we have a BBQ at some other friends' house! But still no word from Derek...
Happy Independence Day, everyone.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Chocolate Devil
Since I'm so domestic and all (ha), I decided to try this recipe I found via Mom the Intern (momtheintern.blogspot.com). I'm not a big sweet eater, and I definitely am not a chocolate fan but this was pretty dang good if I may say so myself. And so easy (which is why I made it).
They are chocolate cookies with peanut butter frosting in the middle and you make them like whoopie pies.
THE RECIPE:
1 Box Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Oil
Add water as needed
Mix the first three ingredients together. If it's still a little dry, add a T of water at a time until it's just gooey enough to roll the batter into 1 inch balls.
Put about 12 balls of dough on a pan at one time (1-2 inches apart). Flatten them slightly. Bake 6-7 minutes at 350* (Don't over bake these; you want them to be soft)
The Frosting:
1/4 Cup Butter (softened)
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
I just rinsed out the bowl I used for the cake mix. Save yourself a dish!
Mix the two together with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add 2 Cups of Powdered Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
2 T. Milk (or less...add one T at a time. You just want it to be creamy enough to spread)
Frost one side of a cookie and sandwich with another.
Flush down with a glass of milk and these guys are so so so good! Fast, easy, delicious. What more could you ask for when looking for a good afternoon snack? They keep well, too. And I heard you can freeze them if you wrap them individually. Hope you try it and I hope you like them as much as I did!
They are chocolate cookies with peanut butter frosting in the middle and you make them like whoopie pies.
THE RECIPE:
1 Box Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Oil
Add water as needed
Mix the first three ingredients together. If it's still a little dry, add a T of water at a time until it's just gooey enough to roll the batter into 1 inch balls.
Put about 12 balls of dough on a pan at one time (1-2 inches apart). Flatten them slightly. Bake 6-7 minutes at 350* (Don't over bake these; you want them to be soft)
The Frosting:
1/4 Cup Butter (softened)
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
I just rinsed out the bowl I used for the cake mix. Save yourself a dish!
Mix the two together with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add 2 Cups of Powdered Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
2 T. Milk (or less...add one T at a time. You just want it to be creamy enough to spread)
Frost one side of a cookie and sandwich with another.
Flush down with a glass of milk and these guys are so so so good! Fast, easy, delicious. What more could you ask for when looking for a good afternoon snack? They keep well, too. And I heard you can freeze them if you wrap them individually. Hope you try it and I hope you like them as much as I did!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Time for Happiness
The cat is out of the bag.
I'm 10 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Who knew??? (Danica...)
I was actually pretty good at keeping it a secret! Our pregnancy was not planned. We weren't trying, just not avoiding. A couple of days before we found out, we decided to kick up the protection level so we don't get pregnant until September or so. And such is life...
We were excited nonetheless. And when I made an appointment with the doctor here in Georgia, I was almost an entire month further along than I realized. Still can't figure out how I missed that... ha. So we saw that little jumping bean this morning and here she/he is: (we think it's a girl, who will be named Claire Elise Hargrove. Yeah, we have had names picked out for like a year. We're weird.)
I had an appointment 2 weeks ago and they didn't really specify why they wanted me to come back so soon. They had seen an abnormality in the ultrasound. When I went in today, she had explained that it looked like I had 2 gestational sacs in there (twins?!). Yikes. But there was no baby in the second sac. So she went on to say it must have been what's called a subchorionic hemorrhage when there is blood between the uterine wall and chorionic membrane. (??? It's jibberish to me, too). The "twin" cell runs rampant through both of my parents' blood lines so I was fearing the worst but a little bit secretly masochistically excited like, "Bring it on!". Yeah, forget the bring it on. I realized I'm not sure I could have done that. Not right now.
So since I wasn't planning on this baby, part of me would get a little down and think, "I can hardly take care of myself! How can I do everything right to take care of this baby in my belly?!" And my stress level has been so high that I can feel my pelvic pain go wild and often wonder if I will lose this child if I'm not careful. But today at my appointment (after an obviously sad and pathetic night last night. Thank you for all your wonderful words of encouragement- you have no idea how much they make me smile and uplift me) I realized I was SO excited for this appointment today. If nothing else but to get my mind off of feeling lonely. I have two babies now! And one in South Carolina. What a beautiful thing! Our little family will have doubled in 3 years!
And as I came home from this appointment I realized how this baby is not a hinderance at all, but it's giving me a reason to hang on and realize that it's time for some happiness around here.
I'm 10 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Who knew??? (Danica...)
I was actually pretty good at keeping it a secret! Our pregnancy was not planned. We weren't trying, just not avoiding. A couple of days before we found out, we decided to kick up the protection level so we don't get pregnant until September or so. And such is life...
We were excited nonetheless. And when I made an appointment with the doctor here in Georgia, I was almost an entire month further along than I realized. Still can't figure out how I missed that... ha. So we saw that little jumping bean this morning and here she/he is: (we think it's a girl, who will be named Claire Elise Hargrove. Yeah, we have had names picked out for like a year. We're weird.)
I had an appointment 2 weeks ago and they didn't really specify why they wanted me to come back so soon. They had seen an abnormality in the ultrasound. When I went in today, she had explained that it looked like I had 2 gestational sacs in there (twins?!). Yikes. But there was no baby in the second sac. So she went on to say it must have been what's called a subchorionic hemorrhage when there is blood between the uterine wall and chorionic membrane. (??? It's jibberish to me, too). The "twin" cell runs rampant through both of my parents' blood lines so I was fearing the worst but a little bit secretly masochistically excited like, "Bring it on!". Yeah, forget the bring it on. I realized I'm not sure I could have done that. Not right now.
So since I wasn't planning on this baby, part of me would get a little down and think, "I can hardly take care of myself! How can I do everything right to take care of this baby in my belly?!" And my stress level has been so high that I can feel my pelvic pain go wild and often wonder if I will lose this child if I'm not careful. But today at my appointment (after an obviously sad and pathetic night last night. Thank you for all your wonderful words of encouragement- you have no idea how much they make me smile and uplift me) I realized I was SO excited for this appointment today. If nothing else but to get my mind off of feeling lonely. I have two babies now! And one in South Carolina. What a beautiful thing! Our little family will have doubled in 3 years!
And as I came home from this appointment I realized how this baby is not a hinderance at all, but it's giving me a reason to hang on and realize that it's time for some happiness around here.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
This man.
In my heart I honestly feel there isn't another human being more perfect for me and complimentary to me than my husband Derek. We aren't the type that fights and yells, or gives each other the silent treatment for long. We are never glad to have time apart even if it means just a little alone time. Which is something I used to enjoy before marrying Derek. I've always been very independent and I liked it that way. It was the only way I knew. Once we met up again (after losing contact for a couple of years), we were glued at the hip. When we were married, it didn't change. When we had a baby, it didn't change. And now he's gone for training and...there's nothing we can do about it.
I'm so sad and lonely that I find myself just HOPING I'll miss that green left turn arrow so I can sit in the car for a few more minutes before going home to a quiet and empty apartment. When I put Titan to bed, I wait for him to cry so I can turn back around and have someone to lay with for a while. And when he doesn't cry...I make the long trek back to my room, alone. I even sat on the edge of my bed tonight feeling so sad and down that I dialed Derek's phone JUST TO SEE if MAYBE he would answer his phone by some miracle. But it went straight to voicemail. And that's when I cried harder than I ever remember crying in my entire 24 years of life. I went through names of family and friends that I could call just to have someone to talk to and then I remembered that I'm just digging up things to get my mind off of being alone. I'm running from it!
Today I filled our schedule with TONS of things. We went for a walk, had breakfast, did the laundry, played outside, had a snack, watched TV, wrestled, played with toys, played hide-n-seek, checked the mail (3 times...), went out to lunch, went grocery shopping, folded the laundry, did the dishes, took 2 naps, took a shower, did puzzles, made dinner, watched more TV and then finally I put my worn out child to bed. After I put Titan to bed is the loneliest time of the day for me. I just walk around wondering WHAT to do! There is only so much you can do, you know! (And cleaning the toilets doesn't count as something to do at 9 pm...)
I miss you, Derek! And sorry everyone for such a downer post. Nobody likes a whiner. But man, this is so new to me and if you have suggestions on how to not stay bored (but trust me, I'm pretty convinced I've tried it all...) let me know. Or suggest some good books or movies! Thanks!
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