Yes, two posts in one night!

I've done this meme 4 years previously, and I always enjoy it, so here it is for this year:

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done 
before? I hosted a crafting slumber party. 

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? One goal for last year for me was to lose some weight and get in better shape. I'm still early on in my journey, but I did make some progress toward that. I want to continue that in the new year. I also have some financial goals that are really more prayer requests, because I know it will take God's hand on us to make them happen.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister-in-law Faith and my friend Melanie.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My uncle passed away Saturday. I wasn't super close to him, but his wife is my dad's twin sister, and she was always one of my favorite aunts. 

5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? A bigger house! And if we're dreaming, a new HE washer and dryer, Photoshop, Lightroom, and a decent lighting setup. Oh, and a new camera bag! :)

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 21st, the day Liam was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting the Christmas gifts done and delivered on time. And at one point I had Jack's room spotless, although that's no longer the case.

9. What was your biggest failure? Just the general craziness of the housework situation. It wasn't for lack of trying, but I do wish I had been more on top of things, and hope to be much better about it in the coming year.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No, thank God, since I was without insurance this year. 

11. What was the best thing you bought? Well, I love my Macbook, but I didn't buy it, so that probably doesn't count. I love my Kindle, and I also got a 35MM lens for my Nikon. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Nick has worked so hard at exercising and losing weight, and I'm so proud of him! Morgan has also struggled some this year with school (please don't get me started on Common Core), but she's worked really hard and is currently passing all her classes. Daisy also (finally) conquered potty training, and Jack started walking back in March and hasn't slowed down since. I'm immensely proud that Morgan became a Christian in June, and Nick has continued to grow tremendously in his spiritual walk.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
I try to keep it apolitical on here, but I continue to be disappointed in the attitude and actions of our President. 

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, diapers, gas.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
Church camp, and our trip to Texas.

16. What song will always remind you of 2013? The Gummy Bear song. This is a silly little song that Morgan and Daisy both liked initially. Now they hate it, but Jack thinks it's the greatest thing he's ever heard, and it gets him happy and dancing when nothing else will.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Probably happier - money is a little better, this week anyway, and I fall more in love with my husband and kids every day. b) thinner or fatter? I'm going to say thinner! c) richer or poorer? A little richer. Kate and Will sent us some Christmas money this year, and although it was considerably less than the last Christmas check they sent two years ago, it was enough to pay the bills this week and buy gas and groceries.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Sleeping.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Going on too little sleep.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.

21. Did you fall in love in 2013? Yes, with my husband, my daughters, and my son!

22. What was your favorite TV program? Sons of Anarchy, Criminal Minds, Glee, Haven, Psych, Law and Order SVU

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah

24. What was the best book you read? Well, I read PK's book a couple of days ago, and I loved it every bit as much as I knew I would! I can't wait for her next one!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm afraid I don't have an answer to this one. 

26. What did you want and get? A better laptop and an external hard drive. Also, a 35mm lens.

27. What did you want and not get? A bigger house, a new washer and dryer

28. What was your favorite film of this year? I think the only movie we saw in the theater this year was Monsters University, and it was really cute.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 36, and I stayed home and watched Jack and Daisy. My mom did come over for a little while and watch them so I could clean, and my in-laws took us out to Chick-Fil-A that night.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More money? More money certainly would have made it easier, but we were inordinately blessed. I would say that more frequent and consistent discipline would have probably been a positive thing for me and our lives in general.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.

32. What kept you sane? trusting God to take care of us. Also, Nick has shown tremendous spiritual growth over the last year, which has been wonderful for our marriage.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I can't say that I was all that caught up in Hollywood this year.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm more than a little irritated with the continuing health care fiasco. Also, I'm not a fan of the Common Core curriculum

35. Who did you miss? My friend Ann

36. Who was the best new person you met? Liam!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013. That God's provisions do not depend upon me constantly updating Nick on our financial status and needs. This year He told me to just shut up about it and trust Him, and He's come through every time.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can't really think of a good answer for this one. 

I can't believe another year has gone by! Jack will be TWO on Thursday, and it's killing me! Today is our 10 year anniversary of the day we started practicing DD, and 16 years since the first time Nick spanked me. It's been a good life with him, and I wouldn't trade him for anyone!

2013 by the numbers

14 photo shoots

18 Etsy orders

1 birthday slumber party

72 blog posts

12 spankings I was promised 

4 spankings Nick let go

8 spankings I actually got

127 spankings I deserved but were never mentioned

89 handmade Christmas gifts

1 trip out of state

2 hours stuck on a bridge in Louisiana with a vomiting toddler

1 kid potty trained

1 new family member born

1 family member passed away (my uncle passed 2 days ago)

26 trips to Hobby Lobby

8 trips to Joann's

7 trips to Michael's

13 trips to Goodwill

20ish pillow covers made

30ish skirts made

5 trips to the ER

1 child's dental surgery

4 date nights

1 flooded bathroom

1 new family gym membership

19 pounds lost

2 craft exchanges

2 ASE tests passed

1 pay raise

1 craft show

Countless needs met and blessings received!

Just checking in...

Hey, guys. Not a whole lot going on here - just checking in. We're getting settled into the new year. Morgan went back to school today. It was a busy Christmas break; her best friend next door spent the night 4 or 5 times, and she spent the night over there once. Also, her best friend from her old school spent the night here on Friday, and she and Daisy spent the night with my parents one night last week. 

Jack's first birthday was last Wednesday. I really wanted to do a party for him, like I did for Morgan's and Daisy's first birthdays, but it just wasn't in the budget this year. But my mom got him a cake and bought some ice cream, and we had that after church that night, so that was nice.

It's my intention to establish some better eating/exercising habits this year. I'd love to join a gym; Nick belongs to one and goes almost every day on his lunch break. Unfortunately we've not had the money to add me as of yet. 

I'm also trying (without great success) to get myself in bed earlier. In fact, I'm supposed to be spanked for ignoring my curfew a couple of nights last week, although it hasn't happened yet. I thought he was actually going to let it slide, but he says he still plans to do it. He got a new belt for Christmas, and I think he plans to take the opportunity to break it in. Jack has gotten his days and nights flipped, so that's made it difficult to find time alone.

I had a photo shoot yesterday, which helped tremendously money-wise. It wasn't a huge payout for the sitting fee, but it did get us diapers and gas, which were our two most urgent needs.

Anyway, I'm off to work on the house - Happy New Year!

New Year's Meme 4

I've done this meme 3 years previously, and I always enjoy it, so here it is for this year:

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?  I gave birth to a baby boy, I took part in a craft show, and I vacationed at a 5 star resort to name a few!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? We wanted to get a bit more organized, and we had some small success at that, although we could have done better. I have to give a shout out to Nick who resolved to lose weight and get healthier, and he's done phenomenally well at that. I know that his resolution is to continue with that, and it's my plan to work toward the same thing myself. I do also want to get the house in really good organizational shape, and just do better at housekeeping in general.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Me! Me! And my sister-in-law Kelly.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Nick's grandfather and my uncle passed away a day apart this month.

5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? A bigger house! And if we're dreaming, a new HE washer and dryer, as well as a new laptop, Photoshop, Lightroom, and a decent lighting setup. Oh, and a new camera bag! :)

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? January 2, the day Jack was born, January 13, the day we brought him home, and October 10, the day Logan was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Bringing a healthy baby into the world, although really that was God's accomplishment, not mine. Also, moderate success at my first craft show, and getting all the Christmas gifts done and delivered on time!

9. What was your biggest failure? Oh, this is terribly embarrassing, but Jack's room is still kind of a storage area.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major. I did get a little sick in August. And with running back and forth to the hospital and playing catch up with Morgan and Daisy I didn't really give myself time to recover from Jack's birth, and I got pretty run down in January.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Well, we love our Samsung Infuse phones we got back in January, but since they were free with our contract renewal, I don't know if that counts. I bought a Lightscoop, for my camera, which I really love. I also got a dual temp glue gun and a wood burning tool to cut ribbon, and both of those have really revolutionized my crafting.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Nick has worked so hard at exercising and losing weight, and I'm so proud of him! Morgan and Daisy have also done wonderfully with their new baby brother. :)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My friend Elizabeth's ex-husband, along with his girlfriend (also an old friend of ours) pulled some pretty dirty tricks to try to get full custody of his and Elizabeth's kids, although he later had a change of heart. I also recently found out that Morgan's old soccer coach cheated on his wife of 12 years. Less personally, the story of Sandy Hook Elementary was heartbreaking, and I can't even begin to understand the young man responsible.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, diapers, formula.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The birth of our son, and our trip to Sea Island, Ga.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012? "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. Morgan wore us out on anything One Direction, but Daisy sings this particular song all the time, and it is So. Stinking. Cute.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Probably happier - money is tighter, but I'm not in the hospital. :) b) thinner or fatter? I'm going to have to say thinner since I had a baby inside me this time last year! c) richer or poorer? Definitely poorer, since we had just gotten a nice big Christmas check from Kate and Will this time last year.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Creating

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? aimless online surfing.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012? Yes, with my husband, my daughters, and my son!

22. What was your favorite TV program? Sons of Anarchy, Criminal Minds, Glee, Haven

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah

24. What was the best book you read? I've actually not gotten to read very much this year, which is a lifetime first for me.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm afraid I don't have an answer to this one. 

26. What did you want and get? A healthy baby boy!

27. What did you want and not get? A bigger house, a new laptop.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? The Hunger Games (which was awesome, but come to think of it, I think was the only movie we saw in the theater all year).

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 35, and I stayed home and watched Jack and Daisy. That evening we went to church, and Nick took us all out to eat afterwards.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More money? More money certainly would have made it easier, but we were inordinately blessed.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.

32. What kept you sane? trusting God to take care of us. Also, Nick has shown tremendous spiritual growth over the last year, which has been wonderful for our marriage. He's also made a genuine commitment to leadership in our marriage and disciplining me when I need it in the last few months, and it has helped me tremendously.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ok, for the last month or so I've been watching The Young Riders on Hulu. When I was 12 and watching this I was all about The Kid, played by Ty Miller. This time around though I'm finding myself much more drawn to James Hickok, played by a 21 year old Josh Brolin. Does it count if it was 23 years in the past?

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm more than a little irritated with the continuing health care fiasco.

35. Who did you miss? My friend Ann

36. Who was the best new person you met? Jack!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. If I focus on doing what God wants me to do, He will take care of everything else.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can't really think of a good answer for this one. 

It's hard for me to believe the year is almost over. Jack will be one in 4 days. FOUR DAYS! Monday will be our 9 year anniversary with DD, which is a little surreal to me. 6 years ago Nick commemorated the day with a long hard spanking and a firm lecture, not as a punishment, but rather to wipe the slate clean on the year, give me a fresh start, and discuss the things he wanted me to concentrate on and expected me to do. It meant a lot to me, and part of me would really like for him to do it again, although I'm also very aware that you should be careful what you wish for!

Catching up a bit...

Hello, everyone. Hope you're all enjoying spring! It's been gorgeous here, although we did have a nasty storm yesterday. Nick has been enjoying some golf lately. He started to really get interested in it last year when he played in a charity tournament for Morgan's old school. He played again this year with Robert, Grant, and a guy from our church, and they had a ton of fun. He and Robert have been hitting the driving range every chance they get.

Looking back, I realize I've left out all kinds of blessings and family events over the last few months. Let's see, back on this post I mentioned that we needed a new roof. With everything that happened with me going in the hospital and then Jack's NICU stay, it kind of got put on the back burner. Finally, toward the end of January when things kind of started to get settled down, we looked into what we needed to do. The main issue was that we really didn't have anything to spend out of pocket, so we were hoping that the roofing company would be willing to do the work for what the insurance paid after our co-pay. Also, we were dealing with the issue of trying to get the payment from an insurance company we no longer used.

God's hand was truly on the process from start to finish. Not only did the insurance company not balk at paying, but the roofing company was happy with the amount, and they put on much nicer shingles than we had before, exactly, in fact, what we would have chosen if money was no object. They had the old roof off and the new one on in about 4 hours on February 20, which just blew our minds.

THEN, about a month after all that awesomeness, we got an unexpected extra check from the insurance company. It turns out that they had decided to send a little extra (like almost $1100.00 extra). We were very surprised, and it came at a very good time, but we didn't want to cheat the roofing company out of anything (or have them come after us if we didn't turn it in to them!). So we prayed about it, and I called them and told them I needed to see if we were paid in full with them because we had gotten another check from the insurance. Now when the adjuster had come out, they had included in the estimate some damage that we didn't have the roofers repair (a small water stain on the living room ceiling as well as repainting in there). The roofing company assured me that we were paid in full, and even sent me a paid in full letter for our files.

Nick's sister Kate and her family came in from Texas the weekend we got the new roof and stayed for 5 days. We had so much fun with them, and we were able to take the kids to the aquarium, as well as to play putt-putt and a very nice dinner (all of which they paid for). That weekend Nick's other sister and her husband also made an announcement - they're expecting their first baby! We're super excited for them, and they're due the day before Daisy's birthday. We found out a couple of weeks ago that they're having a boy, and I can't wait to throw her a baby shower.

We did have some sad news a few months ago. Robert and his wife Faith, who announced their first pregnancy in December, lost the baby just a few weeks after Jack was born. She was just about 8 weeks along, but it was truly heartbreaking. What made it even harder was that the miscarriage happened the weekend she helped throw my baby shower for Jack. She didn't feel well during the shower, so we sent her to go lie down. The day after the next (Monday), she went to the doctor and they were unable to find a heartbeat. This is the brother who is our pastor, and I can truly say that they have shown such an amazing testimony during an incredibly difficult time. I pray that God blesses them with a baby sometime very soon.

Speaking of brothers, my other brother James (the one who's been living in L.A.) moved back in February, and he now lives about 3 minutes away from me! He was living out of state for about a year and 1/2 for his work, and I've missed him so much! It's so good to have him home!

Oh! Another cool thing - for the last 3 months I've been taking part in a monthly girls night out. The first Thursday of the month I go out to eat with a group of other women, most of them also married with children, and I can't even tell you how incredibly much fun this has been. One of the women is a girl I went to school with, ironically enough one that I had a VERY volatile friendship with during high school, with much more fighting that friendliness. All these years later we're great friends, and Nick and the kids and I actually went to a family game night at her and her husband's house last month. We don't have all that many friends who are in the exact stage of life with are in (married with 3 kids, all younger than teenagers), so it was a lot of fun to spend some time with them, and Nick got to meet some of the wives I've been spending girl's night out with.

Easter was lovely as always. I kind of went nuts with matching our clothes, but we all wore black/gray, white, and yellow, and I have to say, we looked pretty great together. We had dinner at Nick's grandparents' house, and Jack was the star of the show. :)

The 21st I had a photo shoot. It was my first since the baby was born, and it was pretty intense. It was at a special care facilty for some pretty severely disabled patients, and they were very challenging to work with. That said, it was a blessing to be chosen for such an opportunity, and I have such respect for the workers who spend their days caring for these very special patients.

The 24th was Nick and Morgan's birthday. My baby girl is eleven years old! We had a small family get together, and it was a lot of fun. I can't believe another year has passed!

And speaking of Nick, I'm so very proud of him! He decided at the new year that he was going to make some healthy lifestyle changes, and he used part of our income tax return to buy bicycles for me and him. I've sadly not had much opportunity to ride mine (um, new baby!), but he's been taking his to work with him and faithfully riding on his lunch breaks. He's also gone on a few ride events, and he's been eating a lot healthier too. He's dropped some noticeable weight, and I'm so impressed with him for sticking with it!

What else? In March Nick and I got to have a real live date night! My in-laws kept Morgan overnight, and my parents kept Jack and Daisy for the evening so that we could have dinner and go see opening night of The Hunger Games. Nick and I absolutely loved the books, and I have to say that they did an awesome job with the movie. We can't wait till the next one comes out, and we already have it planned as a date.

Anything else? Oh yeah - our old, faithful, much used gas grill finally bit the dust earlier this month, right at the beginning of grilling season. I mentioned it on Facebook and my friend Denise commented and said that we could just have hers. I couldn't believe it, because hers was in great shape, but she's single and lives alone and just never uses it, so she passed it along to us! Our dishwasher also had to be replaced. Fortunately we were able to get one reasonably priced, and it should be here on May 1st. Unfortunately I'm revisiting my dishwasherless newlywed days until then, but I think I'll live. :)

Nick has picked up a bit on the discipline side of things, although there's not been any actual spanking. He has, however cracked down on my tendency to stay up all hours of the night, and it just feels really good to feel him there setting some boundaries.

Anyway, I know this has been a long, rambling post. But I kind of had my head stuck in the sand there for a while, and I wanted to get all this down. :)

New Year’s Meme (Part Three)

This is a New Year’s Meme I originally did in 2009, then again at the end of 2010. The answers in black are my original answers, the ones in red are last year’s, and the ones in blue are this year’s.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Went to Houston, won a trip to Hawaii (although we've not gone yet).
In 2010 I became a stay at home mom for the first time and also launched a photography business. In 2011 I started an etsy shop (and made a few sales!). I also shot a wedding with Nick. And I was hospitalized for pregnancy complications.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I honestly can't remember last year's resolutions, but we've decided to make some financial changes this year.
This year's resolution was just to trust God more, and we've definitely had to do that. Next year I'd like to expand my photography business. We had the same resolution this year as last, and God has definitely carried us through! I also wanted to make enough with my photography business to cover our initial investment, and I did that.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. Unfortunately she also got divorced. We also found out that Nick's sister is pregnant. Sadly, still not me, although at this point that would be something of a financial disaster.
Two girls I graduated high school with gave birth. But considering my 2009 answer, I want to point out that I got pregnant about three weeks after I posted that answer and I entered 2010 with a 13 week old baby of my own! Um, me! Me! And my friend A (ironically enough the same girl from my first answer to this question).

4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather
No. I'm blessed to have attended no funerals in 2010, although I did learn that a former co-worker passed away a week ago. No one close to me died, but one of my close friends lost her dad just before the end of the year.

5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.
Same answer. Still same old boring answer.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A SLR digital camera
This coming year I'd like to have the full Photoshop Suite/Lightroom and a better lighting equipment package. And since I've been reading all these craft blogs, I've fallen in love with the idea of having a Cricut machine. We’d love to be able to move to a bigger house.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 3, the day my papaw passed away, and June 26, our 10th anniversary.
January 7, 2010 was the day I went in and quit my job. June 6, the day I found out I was pregnant, and December 14, the day I was admitted to the hospital.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I don't know how much of an achievement you'd consider it, but I did win that trip to Hawaii.
Actually getting a few photography clients. Also, moderate overall success as a coupon ninja, and serious coupon ninja success when it came to Christmas this year. Hanging onto my pregnancy as long as I did. Also, managing to get most of the Christmas gifts finished and out the door (although I actually still have a few to do).

9. What was your biggest failure? Probably that we could have handled our money better.
Not keeping more on top of the laundry. Not being able to control my blood pressure during my pregnancy (although I did try!).

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not unless you count strep throat
Nope! Unless you count the time I slipped in our backyard and ended up with a very sore spine and tailbone for a few days. Well there was that little blood pressure thing…

11. What was the best thing you bought? Probably my car - it's been a great investment so far.
My camera! Probably the Sequoia.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Morgan has really gotten it together with school. She had some issues in October with not really wanting to get her work done, but she's improved 110%.
Morgan has been an ah-may-zing big sister! Nick was an AWESOME husband and father during the chaos of the last few weeks of my pregnancy!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A couple we've known for years and years and actually introduced. They both just gave up on their marriage and decided to get divorced rather than putting any effort into fixing things.
Barack Obama. The plethora of men behaving badly in the media this year!

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, food.
Bills, diapers, formula. Bills, diapers.

 
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our trip to Houston.
My camera and our trip back to Texas. The birth of our son.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Anything Hannah Montana. If I never hear Hannah Montana again it will be too soon, but since Morgan sings the stuff in her sleep, I'm probably not that lucky.
Anything by the Avett Brothers. Nick has been playing the crap out of them! Billionaire as performed by the cast of Glee. Odd choice I know, but I think they just blew the original out of the water!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Probably happier, Probably about the same, Happier b) thinner or fatter? About the same, maybe a little heavier, but not much, probably about the same, which I’m pretty proud of since I just had a baby! c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same, although we really should be richer, Poorer, Money-wise, about the same, but infinitely richer in our family.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Photography
Day to day photography just for myself. Cleaning – we have way too much stuff in this house!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating out.
Staying up way too late. Eating lots of Ramen noodles during the first few months of my pregnancy. I ate them because they were cheap, but I know they must have added to the later problems with my blood pressure.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.
This year will be the same. Out of the hospital – yay! And frantically trying to finish making gifts!

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes, with my husband and daughter, every day.
Yes, with my husband and both of my daughters, every day. Yes, with my husband, my daughters, and my son!

22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost
Lost, until it went off, then Sons of Anarchy and Terriers. Glee. I know – it’s a guilty pleasure.'

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah
Nope. Still nope.

24. What was the best book you read? I couldn't even begin to narrow that down.
Same answer, although there have been some great ones! Probably The Hunger Games Trilogy.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? That Itunes will let you redownload your purchases if your hard drive crashes!
The Avett Brothers. Adele. And Glee.

26. What did you want and get? A better car.
A Nikon D90. A son (although technically he didn’t arrive till 2012).

27. What did you want and not get? A Nikon D90
Photoshop/Lightroom. Photoshop/Lightroom.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Fireproof
Sherlock Holmes. Well, the only one we got to go see was Hugo, but it was pretty good.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31, and I hung out with Nick, went shopping, went to see the movie Fireproof, and stopped to visit with some friends.
I turned 33, and to celebrate we had a cookout with family and friends the day before, then I had a photo shoot. The day of we went to church then went and had lunch with Nick's sister and her husband. I turned 34, and I got to do a little bit of shopping and have lunch with Nick.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?More money? Definitely more money, and a baby, or at least having one on the way.
Having made enough off my photography to have paid for my camera in full. Right now I'm a little over 50% of the way there. I can’t think of one blessed thing!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.
Not much has changed here. Lol, it was maternity wear for most of it!

32. What kept you sane? Nick beating my butt when I got too stressed, although I probably could have used more of that.
Concentrating on letting God take care of us and our finances. Still trusting in God, although I wouldn’t have turned down a few more spankings!

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mmmmm....Josh Holloway, although Harrison Ford wasn't bad either.
Still Josh Holloway - Oh, Sawyer, I miss you! Is it weird that I’m still crushing on Josh Holloway even though Lost has been off the air for almost a year?

34. What political issue stirred you the most? No politics here, please.
The health care fiasco! Honestly I’ve been a little too occupied to pay much attention.

35. Who did you miss? My friend L
Still my friend L, although I got to see her a bit more this year. Same answer, although I got to see her even less this past year.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I can't really think of anyone new I met in real life that made a big impression, but I met lots of great people on here!
Same answer. Same answer.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Life is not fair - sometimes the people who make the worst decisions can still end up swimming in money.
God is always there for us - His mercies are new every morning! Sometimes you just have to take off the Super Mom costume and take care of your own health (and life will continue when you do).

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can't really think of a good answer for this one.
Still can't come up with one! Sigh, still nothing.

Happy New Year!

Hello, everyone! I hope you’re all having a great New Year! I’m back in the hospital and only have access to post to the blog via Window’s Live Writer. I can’t actually view my posts because my blog isn’t allowed by the hospital’s firewall, so hopefully I won’t get home and realize I’ve made all kinds of typos lol.

I got to go home for Christmas, which was very nice. I actually went home (or rather to my parents’ house) on Wednesday the 21st. Nick picked me up at the hospital, and we stopped by the house on the way to my parents’ house so I could get a few clothes and craft supplies I needed. Nick grabbed the mail, and I had the most wonderful surprise in it! One of my dear friends that I met through blogging had sent us a Christmas card with some money inside! This was such an unexpected gift, and it was such a blessing! Nick had ended up having to miss a day and a half of work with me being in the hospital, and on the way home I was just telling him that we needed to be in prayer because funds in the bank account were running pretty low. What a blessing this wonderful lady and her husband were to us!

My doctor’s visit that Friday went very well, good blood pressure readings, and my amniotic fluid level was back at a 12, which is the magic number of where it is supposed to be. Friday night we had my family’s Christmas celebration, and I spent most of the day trying to finish up the gifts for that night without overdoing it. By the end of the night though I was worn out, and myself, my parents, and the girls were all going a little stir crazy with each other, so Nick decided to take us home.
It was a relief to get back to my own bed, and I tried to take it easy, although that’s easier said than done with a two year old. Saturday night we had a Christmas celebration at Nick’s aunt’s house, and Nick and I spent a few hours that night getting all of Morgan’s and Daisy’s gifts wrapped and under the tree.

Before going into the hospital, I had found Nick a few token gifts, nothing big, but things I knew he would like. We rarely get each other anything of any substance for Christmas, just because our money generally goes toward buying for the girls and everyone else, but we usually come up with something small for each other. I gave him the things I had for him, and he surprised me with the start of a Willow Tree Nativity set, complete with a stable he made himself! I’ve collected Willow Tree figurines for years, mostly getting them from family as birthday gifts, and I’ve wanted a nativity forever, but the price was always too high. He found the 6 piece starter set on sale at a little Christian book store, and he told me that he plans to buy me a new piece every year! I love, love, love the idea of this, and I was thrilled with the gift!

Sunday morning Morgan woke us all up bright and early, and we all piled downstairs for the girls to open their gifts. They loved everything they got, and I was pleased and relieved to find that they appreciated the handmade and thrift store items just as much as the few new things they got.
After they opened gifts at home, we went to his dad’s house, and that’s where Christmas got really interesting! I got some makeup that I’d been needing, and some body care stuff from Victoria’s Secret, as well as a curved shower curtain rod, something Nick had been wanting for our bathroom for ages. Nick got an airbrush kit, some golf shoes, and a couple of florescent light ballasts with extra light bulbs for our garage, something that we’d needed FOREVER.

Morgan got some pajama pants and some boots and some hair styling tools and some scrapbooking stuff. Daisy got a fuzzy pink rocking horse, a very sweet handmade snowman shirt and tutu (from Kelly), and a cute pair of shoes (that she immediately put on the rocking horse lol). Then my MIL brought out the gifts Kate and Will had sent.

Now I’ve mentioned before that Kate and Will are both very well off and very generous, but I honestly wasn’t expecting the level of gifts they got us this year. First of all, Morgan opened up a really cute pair of boots that she’d been wanting, and then she opened up…………..an iPad 2! And not just an iPad, but an iPad with about $250 worth of accessories, including Skull Candy headphones, a smart cover for the iPad, a car charger, and $140 worth of iTunes gift cards! We were stunned, to say the least, and we just about had to peel her off the ceiling!

Then my MIL brought in these two super nice rolling duffel bags, one with Nick’s name embroidered on it, and one with Morgan’s. Morgan’s was stuffed completely full of gorgeous clothes and shoes for Daisy, and Nick’s was completely full of clothes, blankets, etc. for Jack! There was also a very cool little toiletries case inside one of them for me.

THEN, my MIL handed me a card from Kate and Will. Inside was a very nice check and a note that it was to help with bills! What an amazingly generous gift altogether!

When I got the unexpected card on Wednesday with the money inside, there was a note from my friend telling me that they were so glad to be able to be in a position to be of help to us, and they hoped that we would someday soon be in a position to pass the blessing along. We knew immediately that this was our opportunity to do so, and we began making plans to bless Robert and Faith, who have been facing some financial issues lately. The next evening we took them out to dinner, and while there they spilled the secret that they had just found out that they’re expecting their first baby! After dinner we stopped at Wal-Mart, and bought them their first baby gift, and it was so much fun to be able to treat someone else! We were also able to pay my parents back a couple of hundred dollars that they loaned us when we bought the Sequoia, and I know they were relieved to get it.

Anyway, back to the pregnancy…that day (the day after Christmas), my blood pressure at the doctor’s visit was a little on the high side, and the amniotic fluid level had dropped to 10. But things were not worrisome enough as of yet to send me back to the hospital, so she sent me home again with orders to drink lots of water and really stick to the bed rest. Other than dinner with my brother and his wife, I did just that. My mom came over the next day to watch the kids for me, and I only got out of bed to move to the couch just before Nick got home.

My next doctor’s appointment was Wednesday. Despite all the continuous resting, hydrating, and low sodium diet, my blood pressure readings had continued to climb since the visit two days earlier, and I was concerned enough to pack a small bag just in case I had to be readmitted. It turns out that was a wise choice, because the visit showed that my amniotic fluid was back down to an 8, and the baby had dropped down to the 11th percentile on the growth chart. They estimated his size at 3lb 13oz. She me sent back over to check in again, and I’ve been here ever since.

She’s been doing ultrasounds every two days, and today’s indicated that we can likely only get another 2-3 days out of the pregnancy before we have to induce. She will do another ultrasound tomorrow instead of waiting till Tuesday. The good news is that Jack himself seems to be doing very well other than just being very small. Today we could see him sucking his thumb and making other little nursing motions, and his breathing movements are looking great. He’s very active, and is handling the frequent nonstress tests very well.

When she did the ultrasound on Friday she told me that she thought that if we could get to 35 1/2 weeks now we would have a take-home baby, which is a week sooner than she was  thinking before. I’ll be 34 weeks and 4 days tomorrow, so we’re within about a week of that now. I did take a tour of the NICU a few days ago, just to prepare myself, but I’m praying fervently that God gives him the strength and level of development needed to avoid us having to leave him here at all!

Last night Nick brought the girls down to ring in the new year with me. Robert and Faith and well as Kelly and Grant also came down. The siblings and spouses left about 12:30, but Nick and the girls stayed all night. That wasn’t exactly the plan, but Nick pulled out the pull-out couch to lay down for just a minute, and in no time at all he was fast asleep. Morgan played on her iPad, and Daisy snuggled up next to me, and I just couldn’t bear to wake him up and send them home. I had the nurse bring us a couple of extra pillows and blankets, and Morgan shared the pull-out with Nick and was asleep by about 2:00. It was really so sweet to have them here, and just the best feeling in the world to have Daisy’s little arms wrapped around me while she slept. My blood pressure was lower today, and I really believe that’s why!

Anyway, that’s what’s going on with us. I really, really, REALLY appreciate all your prayers and sweet comments, and I apologize for not having access to reply to them. Please do continue to pray for us – Matthew 18:19 tells us:
   “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they
     shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
So I’m asking you to please be in prayer that our baby is born healthy and strong, with no complications resulting from his prematurity, and that we are able to take him home with us when we leave!

Resolutions

Well, it’s that time again – time to make resolutions to keep or at least strive for. This year I hope to:

Grow my photography business to the point that I at least double my investment.

Get my laundry completely done and keep on top of it.

Do more crafting! This year I made almost all of the Christmas gifts that left our house, and not only did it save us a ton of money, but everyone seemed to love them!

Along those same lines – get a Silhouette machine. This is actually something that Nick and I will both use (rather, I will use it for him). I think I’ve mentioned that he and a couple of his friends are trying to get a custom car business off the ground in their free time, and we would use the machine to cut stickers to sell and to make heat transfers for t-shirts.

I want to learn how to sew on a machine. I got a nice sewing machine for Christmas about three years ago, and it’s never been out of the box. It’s not that I don’t want to use it – it’s that I have no place to set it up. I’m not sure how to go about remedying that, but I really would love to find some room to do not just sewing, but the rest of my crafting as well, and I'd love to be able to get back into origami as well.

I want to try to keep my house within about 15-30 minutes of being ready for company at all times.

I want to be better at couponing.

I want to get Daisy’s room completely organized. I hate to admit it, but right now it’s still half full of stuff that got dumped in there while we were putting down the new flooring in the rest of the downstairs. Her bed and the area around it and through the middle of the room are clear, but her pack-n-play is full of toys that belong to both her and Morgan, and they need to be seriously paired down.

I want to have more company over this year.

I want Morgan to be able to have more friends sleep over.

I’d like to have more date nights.

I want to get to know Jesus better.

How about you guys – any resolutions for you?

A New Year, a new era?

Thirteen years ago Nick spanked me for the first time. Six years after that we introduced the concept of domestic discipline into our marriage, and it changed our marriage entirely. Seven years later, DD seems to have died a quiet death. The day just past was the 7 year anniversary of DD for us, and as I expected, it passed without mention.

It’s been a couple of months since there was any form of discipline happening, and it’s been nearly as long since there’s been so much as a mention of it. A few days after this spanking there was another one promised for the same thing. I had ended up staying up all night the next Tuesday night, albeit with good intentions. Nick had an early meeting the next morning, and I was trying to make sure he got up on time. When I woke him up and he realized I hadn’t been to bed, he let me know that it would be dealt with. I asked him if we could try to take care of it soon, and he promised to try to do it the next day. Obviously that never happened. Nor was it ever even referenced again.

Honestly, I didn’t want the spanking, and I certainly hadn’t been trying to earn it, but I have to admit that the broken promise felt an awful lot like not caring. Much the same way that the birthday spanking he promised never happened. Sort of like how the birthday spankings for 2008 and 2009 never happened either. It’s not like this is the longest we’ve ever gone without any kind of spanking for punishment or play. There was, after all, the seven month hiatus of 2009, although that was during my pregnancy. But this feels different. All the other times we went through dry spells as far as actual activity, Nick still made verbal references to his authority. This time around it’s as if he’d never taken on the responsibility in the first place.

I’ve purposely refrained from bringing it up because I just haven’t had the spare strength to deal with the inevitable feelings of insecurity and burdensomeness. And I always told myself that I’d let it go if it ever got to the point that it was no longer doing our marriage any good. It seems clear that we’ve reached that point.

There’s a tiny voice in the back of my mind saying “See! I told you he doesn’t love you enough to do this without you pestering him!” And while I can mostly dismiss that as my insecurities bubbling up, I have to admit that there is some small truth in it too. And so it has come down to this: Does he love me enough to ever really wholeheartedly make a commitment to having a DD marriage? Or do I love him enough to not try to make him? The fact is, I can’t answer for him, although I suspect what the true answer might be. But I can answer for me. The question really boils down to this: “Do I love him more than I love me?” and the answer is yes, of course I do. And so I have to let it go. It may be that I’m wrong (as I have been before), and if so, I’ll be glad to be so. But this time I have to be the one to make a real commitment to being the wife he needs me to be, the wife that lives under his authority by never making him exercise it. After all these years, I think I may be getting the hang of it.

Starting the New Year off (sort of) right

Well, we started the New Year off right. Sort of. We got the spanking part right. Somewhere just over 100 hard swats with the AngelBrat Paddle shortly after the ball dropped left me feeling toasty and submissive heading into 2010. Unfortunately a very small person interrupted our after spanking play by waking up and loudly demanding my attention. And our niece Kit spent the night with Morgan last night, so we didn't have much privacy then either. I'm really hoping we can spend some alone time tonight!

This morning I'm up bright and early doing some laundry before Morgan and her cousin wake up and craziness ensues. I hope everyone has a blessed 2010!

I did this meme last January, and I thought it would be interesting to do it again this year.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Went to Houston, won a trip to Hawaii (although we've not gone yet).

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I honestly can't remember last year's resolutions, but we've decided to make some financial changes this year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes. Unfortunately she also got divorced. We also found out that Nick's sister is pregnant. Sadly, still not me, although at this point that would be something of a financial disaster.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather

5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? A SLR digital camera

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 3, the day my papaw passed away, and June 26, our 10th anniversary.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I don't know how much of an achievement you'd consider it, but I did win that trip to Hawaii.

9. What was your biggest failure? Probably that we could have handled our money better.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not unless you count strep throat

11. What was the best thing you bought? Probably my car - it's been a great investment so far.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Morgan has really gotten it together with school. She had some issues in October with not really wanting to get her work done, but she's improved 110%.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? A couple we've known for years and years and actually introduced. They both just gave up on their marriage and decided to get divorced rather than putting any effort into fixing things.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, food.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our trip to Houston.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Anything Hannah Montana. If I never hear Hannah Montana again it will be too soon, but since Morgan sings the stuff in her sleep, I'm probably not that lucky.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? Probably happier b) thinner or fatter? About the same c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same, although we really should be richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Photography

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Eating out.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes, with my husband and daughter, every day.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah

24. What was the best book you read? I couldn't even begin to narrow that down.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? That Itunes will let you redownload your purchases if your hard drive crashes!

26. What did you want and get? A better car.

27. What did you want and not get? A Nikon D90

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Fireproof

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31, and I hung out with Nick, went shopping, went to see the movie Fireproof, and stopped to visit with some friends.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?More money? Definitely more money, and a baby, or at least having one on the way.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.

32. What kept you sane? Nick beating my butt when I got too stressed, although I probably could have used more of that.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mmmmm....Josh Holloway, although Harrison Ford wasn't bad either.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? No politics here, please.

35. Who did you miss? My friend L

36. Who was the best new person you met? I can't really think of anyone new I met in real life that made a big impression, but I met lots of great people on here!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Life is not fair - sometimes the people who make the worst decisions can still end up swimming in money.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I can't really think of a good answer for this one.

A Pass

Happy New Year, everyone!

Nick gave me a pass on the spanking for the car. By the time we had time for it, he said it just seemed kind of silly, but that if it happened again it would be bad. I was kind of shocked, because I never get out of one, but I was very relieved. And we had a very, very, very good night in bed.

Nick was actually curious what had gotten into me, and after giving it some thought, what I came up with was this: when I'm in for a serious paddling, I'm nervous and scared and full of adrenaline. But there's also always a very strong undercurrent of arousal because, well, I am a spanko, and it's very, very sexy to know that he is willing to take care of me that way, whether I want it at the time or not. So when you take that potent mix and suck out the fear, you have a very, very horny girl left. I was very ready for him, and it didn't take long at all to take me over the edge.

So I guess I've had my last spanking of 2008 after all.

Speaking of spankings, this is our 5 year DD anniversary. Five years ago was my very first discipline spanking. There have been so many ups and downs, but the journey has been worth it, and I am so very grateful to have a husband who's been willing to make it with me. I love you, Baby!

Re-stolen Meme 2007

I'm totally stealing this from Eve, because it looked like fun, and as of yet I don't have any new spanking stuff to report (although I'm starting to feel back in the mood again, and I've asked Nick if he would be willing to give me a nice, not too hard good girl. He was watching a movie when I asked, so I got a grunt, but we'll see...)

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? I got a tattoo.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Well, I don't know how much of a resolution it was, but Nick and I decided Christmas Day 2006 to try to have another baby and if at all possible let me quit my job and be a stay at home mom. Unfortunately, between some medical issues and a pretty changed financial situation, it doesn't look like it's a viable plan anymore.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, a close friend had a baby in January, and I just found out she's pregnant again.

4. Did anyone close to you die? I lost a friend online.

5. What countries did you visit? Just this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? A baby.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 2-3 when we went to the marriage retreat, June 26, our 9th anniversary, October 26, the day I got my tattoo.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Well, I got all the laundry done a couple of times...

9. What was your biggest failure? Laundry again...

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? In October I was diagnosed with Poly-Cystic Ovary Syndrome.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My digital camera

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Nick's - he's been an awesome husband, and Morgan's, who is now one of the best six year old readers I've ever met!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The husband of a close friend who was an all around lousy guy earlier this year.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, food.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? the marriage retreat, our annual vacation to the cabin, my tattoo.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? All the Same by Sick Puppies

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? a) probably a little sadder right now b) maybe a little thinner c) poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? camping

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying about money.

20. How did you spend Christmas? With family, eating, opening gifts.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Yes, with my husband and daughter, every day. Oh, and our puppy.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Lost, Nip/Tuck

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nah

24. What was the best book you read? Gosh, it would be hard to narrow it down. I read a lot of great books.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Sick Puppies

26. What did you want and get? A better digital camera.

27. What did you want and not get? A baby.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Shrek the Third

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30, and I hung out with Nick, watched a friend get a tattoo, got my hair cut and colored, and got my driver's license renewed.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?More money? Definitely more money, and a baby, or at least having one on the way.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Same old jeans and cute shirts I'm afraid.

32. What kept you sane? Nick beating my butt when I got too stressed.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Mmmmm....Josh Holloway.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? No politics here, please.

35. Who did you miss? My friend L

36. Who was the best new person you met? I can't really think of anyone new I met in real life that made a big impression, but I met lots of great people on here!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. Whatever my plan is, God has one of His own.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I dont mind where you come from
As long as you come to me
But I don't like illusions - I can't see
Them clearly
I don't care, no I wouldn't dare

To fix the twist in you

You've shown me eventually what you'll do

I don't mind

I don't care
As long as you're here

Chorus:
Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
And do it all over again
It's all the same

Hours slide and days go by
Till you decide to come
But in-between it always seems too long
For certain
But I have the skill, yeah
I have the will, to breath you in while I can
However long you stay is all that I am
I don't mind, I don't care
As long as you're here
Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
And do it all over again
It's all the same

Wrong or Right
Black or White
If I close my eyes
It's all the same

In my life
The compromise
I'll close my eyes
It's all the same

Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
And do it all over again
It's all the same