A super long dear diary post all about the last month.

I've been trying to get here to post for a few days now, and I'm finally getting a moment to sit down and do it. This post will probably be long and filled with details on gifts, so feel free to skip if it doesn't interest you. But I try to get all this stuff down because it serves as a record of our lives for me. :)

December is always busy for me, and this year was no different. I had a couple of different sewing jobs - five different winter skirts with matching hair bows, and a hem on a formal dress for the same customer. It was for a girl I graduated high school with. She has a 13 year old daughter who's pretty severely autistic, and the formal was for a special needs pageant (which she won in two categories I'm pleased to report). The skirts were because, at her physical age, it's hard to find clothes in her size that are appropriate to her developmental age. She's very much into things that most 5 year old girls are interested in, so it was fun to watch her reaction when I delivered the skirts made from material she chose. She was thrilled with them all, and her mom was equally happy.

I also had a couple of photo shoots, one for Brandon and Melanie's new baby boy, and one for a customer I've done several previous shoots for. And I had several Etsy orders too, including one on the 21st that had to be made from scratch and received on the other side of the country by Christmas Eve. 

And of course there were all the Christmas gifts to be made. Probably the most time consuming were the Christmas stockings I made for nearly everyone in our families, and well as Brandon, Melanie, and their new baby. My mom helped with cutting out the pieces since it's hard to spread fabric out to cut with a toddler running around, but I did the sewing, as well as hand painting the names on all of them. I think they turned out fabulous, and everyone loved them. 

Besides the 26 stockings, I also made: 5 shirts (2 applique and 3 stenciled), 5 stuffed whales, 9 corn bags (flannel pouches filled with cracked corn - stick them in the microwave and they make wonderful heat/therapy packs), 7 pairs of earrings, 10 necklaces, 12 wine glass charms, 2 zipper pouches, 1 skirt, 7 scarves, 2 blankets (one for new baby Liam and one for Morgan), 1 bracelet, 24 stamped note cards, a taggie security blankie, a bunch of baby bows/headbands, peanut brittle, candied pecans, 2 paracord bracelets, 4 paracord key fobs, 20 or so wax and cotton fire starters, and 2 pillows. I also ordered 9 personalized photo calendars for the guys and Nick's grandmother, and I think I almost worked harder on them than on the stockings. But they were a huge hit, and I will be doing them every year if I'm able. It will be easier next year, because I already have all the dates saved and can just update with new photos.

Nick and I never do much for each other in the gift category at Christmas just due to time/money constraints. But he did get me a $40 gift card to Joann's (yahoo!), and I got him a sweatshirt, made him a calendar and one of the paracord keyrings, and tracked down Youtube videos of all the songs on an album he wanted, then converted the audio tracks to mp3s for him. 

With my gift card I was able to order a jewelry tool I've had my eye on forever (can't wait till it gets here!) and buy some fabric and other sewing goodies. I made myself two awesome infinity scarves out of some of the material, and I've gotten multiple compliments on both of them. :)

Our Christmas celebrations went as follows: my cousin's house for my extended family on the 21st, my parents' house on the 23rd, Nick's aunt's house for his extended family on the 24th, our house Christmas morning, then his dad and stepmom's house after we were done at our house. 

From us the kids got:

Morgan - a blanket, 2 necklaces, 3 pairs of earrings, a scarf, a corn bag (she and Daisy sleep with them literally every night), a pillow, a Loom Bands set (found on Amazon for about $4 a few months ago!), and several shirts from Aeropostale that my mom bought on Cyber Monday for a great deal and gave to me to give her. Mom also made her a couple of pillows and a set of curtains for her room and sent them to our house for her to open.

Daisy - a skirt, a scarf, a necklace, a corn bag, a toy camera, a stuffed whale, a Foofa shirt (that turned out embarrassingly lame I think, but she loved it anyway), a like new Butterfly's doll that I found at the Goodwill for $1 (total score - they sell these dolls at Cracker Barrel for $20. She wanted one for months before we finally got her one back in August while we were on vacation), two Disney Baby Princess dolls (found for a great price at Aldi of all places), and a toy vacuum cleaner that was actually a hand-me-down from my cousin's little boy.

Jack - a whole bunch of toys handed down from my cousin. She did this for us last year also, going through all her son's toys right before Christmas to get rid of the ones he wasn't playing with and passing them on to us to help fill out Jack's gift list. I also got him a Plex beanie baby, and made him a matching Plex shirt. The beanie baby was a sort of hit, but he went nuts over the shirt, which cracked me up. He's worn it several times since Christmas, and every time he's tried to help put it on and proudly pointed at the applique on the front for anyone who would look. :) He also got a toy camera like Daisy did.

In other places, the kids got lots of clothes and shoes mostly, although my mom did get them all some non-clothing stuff. Morgan got about 6 scarves, which she loved, and Will and Kate sent her just a crazy amount of gorgeous name brand pieces. They also sent shoes and clothes for Daisy and Jack, every single item perfect as always. Nick's dad is also in the process of making a very nice set of bunk beds for Morgan's room. He's a very accomplished carpenter, and they look great so far. Morgan's big Christmas wish was a room makeover, thus the pillows and curtains and blankets. The bed is her grandparents' contribution. They kids also got small gift cards to Walmart (Jack), Old Navy (Morgan), Chick-Fil-A (all three), and Carmike Cinemas (all three). We took them to eat and see Frozen on New Year's Eve, which was very cute.

I couldn't tell you everything Nick got, although I know there were jeans and shirts and socks and a jump box (to jump off a dead car battery), a couple of pocket knives, and a basket full of edible goodies made by Kelly. Also a gift card to Bass Pro Outlet.

I got: from my parents - boots, a shirt, a purse, a recipe organizer, 2 books (one sewing and one on organizing for dummies lol), a pair of scissors, a hair barrette/bun maker thing, pajamas, and a sweater; from Nick's parents - makeup powder, eye liner, lip liner, lip gloss, socks, and an electric can opener; from Kelly and Grant - a ribbon organizer basket with two cute spools of ribbon, a pair of earrings, a gorgeous ornament wreath, and some hair bands; from James - a $25 gift card to Hobby Lobby (the most magical place on earth!); from Robert and Faith - a $25 steakhouse gift certificate (for me and Nick together); and from his cousin who drew my name - a Mary Kay mini Satin Hands set and a $25 gift card to Hobby Lobby (can you tell she knows me?). We also together got a huge bag of meat (steaks, burgers, etc - possibly weird, but so awesome) from my aunt, a huge box of Christmas cookies from my cousin, and a big basket of goodies like bread and hams and blocks of cheese and hot cocoa and chocolates and crackers, etc. from my parents. 

Let me tell you, if you're ever stumped for what to get someone for Christmas, a big basket of hearty snacks for the next day is hard to beat. My mom and dad did this last year too, and it's so awesome when you wake up the next day, with no energy to cook and no money left to eat out, to be able to have something quick and easy and filling to munch on! And if you shop sales and coupon, it doesn't have to be expensive, either!

The biggest Christmas blessing came a few days later from Kate and Will. We're always just crazy tight by the end of the year, and this year was the worst it's ever been. I knew that we would need about $1000 more than Nick's last check of the year was likely to be to just pay the bills, let alone buy gas and groceries. And the check after that (the one coming this Friday) would be particularly short due to the way the holidays fell this year, so we would need to supplement that one by several hundred dollars as well. 

When there's a holiday at most jobs it means full pay for a day off, or maybe even a bonus. At his job they get 8 hours pay, which sounds quite fair, except he works on commission, and being at a car dealership, they get paid for the number of hours an order is supposed to take (which sets the price for a service that the customer pays), not the number it actually takes. Which means that if they are quite good at their job (which Nick is), then an 8 hour ticket might only take them an hour or two of actual labor. This means that on an average day they might clock 12-15 hours in the time they're there, so an 8 hour pay day is actually a loss. Normally it works out that Christmas is on one paycheck and New Year's is on another, but this year they both fell within the same pay period, so his upcoming check will have two short days on it.

A few weeks ago I got particularly down and stressed about our finances. I was praying and searching for God's voice on it, and getting very frustrated with myself for not having more faith. I called Robert and asked him if he could come and talk with me about it. One advantage to having my brother as my pastor. :) So he came by, frozen Coke in hand for me since his wife is a sweetheart and suggested it.  Since my mom had stopped by when he showed up and he knew I wouldn't feel comfortable talking in front of her, he asked if she would watch the kids while I ran to Wal-Mart with him. Then we left, and had a lovely talk and some prayer, and he bought me a strainer I was idly admiring at Walmart and picked up my tab at the post office when I went to mail an order out. I felt much better when he dropped me back off. 

We still had no real prospects in sight, but I felt more at peace and sure that God had a plan. Kate had texted me and let me know that their gift for us was in the mail and to keep an eye out for it. It had not arrived by Christmas, but a few days later it came - a check for $2,000! It was enough to pay our bills, including a few to help out on the upcoming payday, as well as buy gas and groceries. We didn't really do anything out of the ordinary with it, other than to buy a new lunch box for Morgan and a few bottles of deeply discounted lotion for me, and take the family out to eat once. Nick and I also got to go out to eat once by ourselves, our fourth date night of the year. :)

At this point we're back to broke, but the bills are paid, there's a little gas left in the car, and we have food in the house. :) And I know that God is still continuing to provide, as He always does!

A few weeks ago I was in a very minor car accident. More of a hit and run, actually. I was on my way to Wednesday night church and somebody swerved into my lane and clipped my driver's side mirror. It's frustrating, because our insurance will only pay after a $200 deductible which is likely higher than we can replace the mirror for, but it could have been so incredibly much worse that I can't complain too bad. No one was hurt, and nothing but the mirror was damaged at all (although it's pretty much toast).

Daisy and Jack have both been battling some intestinal issues lately. Jack has had a number of vomiting episodes, although they have come with no attending symptoms, and almost always after he's been laughing really hard or crying a lot. So I'm thinking he maybe is triggering them with the laughing/crying. Daisy on the other hand is a little more worrisome. 

A few months ago the kids' insurance plan changed networks to one that their longtime pediatrician won't accept. We picked out a new pediatrician (the same one Faith and Robert use and love), but she was not accepting new patients until the new year. Back in September Daisy had a stomachache that went on all day, along with a fever. That was before the insurance change, but it was a Sunday, so the ped's office was closed, and she was in so much pain that she was actually asking to go to the doctor, so I took her to the ER. 

They ended up doing an xray, telling me she was, er, backed up, and giving her an enema. That seemed to do the trick for a day or two, but soon she was in pain again, so I took her to the pediatrician. They just told me to give her laxatives and sent us home. Unfortunately that didn't do anything for her. By the time it became a serious issue again, we were between peds, so back to the ER we went, for the exact same outcome.

Fast forward to a few days before the end of the year, and she was crying in pain again, and vomiting this time. So I took her back to the ER again. This time the xray showed no blockage, so they gave her something for the vomiting and told us to see her pediatrician for a referral to a GI specialist. She has an appointment this Tuesday to go in and get that referral, so please be in prayer that we will be referred to a good one that takes her insurance, and that it will be something easily fixed and not serious. I'm worried that maybe she's developed a food allergy or intolerance, which we've been blessed enough to have never dealt with before, so I'm hoping it's not that, although that would certainly be preferable to something more serious.

Also of note, Jack turned two on the 2nd. Waaah! My tiny baby is growing up on me! We had cake and ice cream at my parents' house, and he went nuts over all the hand me down toys from my cousin that I saved for his birthday. He's definitely his father's son. He's nuts about anything with wheels, and he can figure out anything mechanical in a flash. He got a little tool kit for Christmas with a toy drill and plastic screws, and he was drilling the screws down into the hole with no help whatsoever. The day Robert came over and Mom kept the kids, she turned her back for a minute and caught him on the kitchen table trying to run a piece of fabric through my sewing machine, which he had managed to turn on and start. :) She about had a heart attack!

The other day Nick and I had a small talk about DD. I started to feel really hurt and frustrated and unimportant because he's backed off on a couple of spankings lately, and we didn't really have any acknowledgment of our 10 year DD anniversary on New Year's Eve. But I recognized that I was letting myself spiral, and after some prayer and reasonable conversation with myself I brought it up at a good time and we had a civil conversation about it. He's agreed to try to be more consistent, as well as to help me with some other things like staying on top of going to the gym. 

Anyway, as promised, this was a super long dear diary post all about the last month, and I'm a bit past my bedtime, so I'm off to bed. Good night all!

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!

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was very sweet, although there has been a little sadness too. One of my aunts had a stroke a few weeks ago, so the yearly celebration at my dad's family was cancelled, as she will be in the hospital for at least the rest of the month. And another aunt is at her husband's hospital bedside as he fights for his life after an unexpected episode a couple of days ago. Two of my aunts (sisters) married brothers. Around this time last year one of my uncles by marriage passed away. The one in the hospital now is the brother of the one who died last year, and we would really appreciate your prayers for his recovery.

We're coming up on our 10 year DD anniversary here in a few days. The punishment I mentioned in my last post was cancelled, and there's been one since promised but not delivered, although we've been very busy with family, and I've been trying to get some cleaning done in between celebrations and gift making, so he may have decided to postpone that one indefinitely as well. I'd love to think we might have a sweet evening to mark the anniversary with maybe some not-punishment spanking, but I'm not really holding out too much hope for that. 

I'll post more about Christmas later, but for now I need a something that doesn't require too much creativity on my part, so I'm posting this fun Christmas meme I stole from PK. :)

Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags?

I'm a shameless gift bagger. I hate to wrap with a passion, and I'm really bad at it, so gift bags it is.

Hardest person to buy for?

Well, I make most of the gifts that leave our house, but I'd say the hardest person to make/buy for is Will, Nick's sister Kate's husband. I feel like I don't know him very well, and because they're so very well off financially, he pretty much buys whatever he wants himself. I work hard every year to come up with something that he will enjoy and not be able to go out and just buy himself.

Easiest person to buy for?

All three of my kids. Jack is little enough to be happy with just about anything, and Daisy is so sweet and grateful for everything she gets. Morgan, being almost a teenager, is a little tougher, only because she wants some things I can't make, but she's also still very happy with the things that I can make. 

Do you have a nativity scene?

I do, although I just realized when reading this that we forgot to put it out this year. It's a Willow Tree set, which I collect, and I'm pretty sad now that it didn't make it out this year.

 

Mail or email Christmas Cards?

Every year I promise myself I'll get cards made and sent out, but it usually doesn't happen. At church they pass out a Christmas card list and have alphabetized bins for you to put them all in, and we did manage those this year. 

  

Worst Christmas Gift ever received?

Probably the safari themed muumuu my mom got me a couple of years ago. Yes, a muumuu. I'm not a small girl, but my mom seems to be under the impression that I'm considerably bigger than I really am, and for years she bought me clothes that were sometimes 2 or 3 sizes too big. She's done better the last couple of years, and even bought me a shirt I really like this year, but that muumuu was a doozie.

Favorite Christmas movie?

Probably Christmas Vacation, although I also love A Christmas Story.

  

When do you start shopping for Christmas?

I usually start making things in September for Daisy's birthday in early October, and Christmas gift making kicks into gear from there.

 

Have you ever recycled a present?

On occasion. Usually gift cards when we don't have anything else to give.

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

Cookies, cakes, crackers, cheese ball, candy, pie, cake…

  

White or colored lights on tree?

I like both, but we usually have a tree with white lights.

  

Favorite Christmas song?

O Holy Night

Travel or stay home at Christmas?

All of our family except for Kate and Will and their kids are local to us, so we stay in town.

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

I can.

Angel, Star or as tree topper?

For years our tree has been kind of fishing lodge themed (although I'd love to update it to something more traditional), so we usually top it with a miniature fishing hat.

Open presents Christmas Eve or morning?

This year we went to my mom's family on the 21st, my parents' house on the 23rd, Nick's aunt and uncle's house on the 24th, our house Christmas morning, then Nick's parents' house that afternoon.

 

Favorite theme or ornament?

I personally collect Naughty ornaments, although sadly I didn't find any this year. 

Favorite for Christmas dinner?

Anything I don’t have to cook.

  

What do you want for Christmas? 

Money to pay the bills would be ideal.

Who is most likely to respond to this meme?

I think I’m one of the last

Prayer requests and possible punishments...

Hello, everyone. Not a whole lot to report, mostly just checking in. I'm working on the skirts an old classmate ordered, and I'm trying to clean house and plan Christmas gifts. The house kind of got put on the backburner while I was sewing,  and I thought I was going to get a spanking. It's possible that might still happen, although Nick hadn't decided last time he mentioned it. I'm quite sure I deserve it, but mostly I just wish he'd tell me one way or the other so my brain can move on. 

I've got some serious financial needs this week for several bills, in the next couple of days actually, and I would really appreciate you praying with me for God's timely provision. 

Nick and I do have a date night Saturday night for his company Christmas party, and I'm really looking forward to that! Anyway, that's what's shakin' around our house these days. What's up with you guys?

Just an Update

I am so, so ridiculously tired, and I should be heading up to bed, which I plan to do in just a minute, but I wanted to take a kid free moment to post really quick.

Life is lovely, super busy always it seems. I want to apologize for being so awful about replying to comments. I truly do love getting each and every one of them, and I very much appreciate it each time one of you takes the time to leave me a word or two. My biggest issue is that I usually get them via email on my phone when I'm on the go and don't have the opportunity to reply right then, and by the time I have a chance to sit down, it's slipped my very scattered mind. But I do love you all!

Since I last posted, I managed (with Nick's help) to get all the class reunion CDs made and mailed out. Our church has a couple of CD burners that burn 10 CDs at once (well, one burns 9, because one drive doesn't work, but anyway), so I brought in my own CDs, and Nick burned them for me. My mom graciously filled out my address on all the CD envelopes while she was waiting at the hospital (baby!), and we took them to the post office Friday. And a happy surprise was that it cost me quite a bit less to mail them than I thought it would.

So about that baby...Faith did indeed go into the hospital Wednesday night. They started her on the Cervidil, which started her contractions pretty hard and fast pretty quickly. She labored hard for several hours, and finally decided to have an epidural. It had been her original intention to go without one, but she just wasn't getting any break at all from the pain, and the nurse told her there were hours and hours left to go. I left the hospital around 2:30 Thursday morning with plans to be back at 7:00 AM. 

I got back around 7:30, and had just enough time to sit down and eat my breakfast when Robert sent for me to come to the room because it was time to push! Faith did so great, and little Liam (on here anyway) popped out at 9:58 AM. He weighed 6lb 6.5oz, and was 20 inches long. He is so incredibly precious, and it was such an amazing honor and such a sweet experience to get to be there to see his arrival. I took almost 1000 pictures over the whole event, and I'm trying to wade through editing them between other responsibilities.

I got home just a little while ago, because I ended up taking Morgan to the ER tonight. She'd been complaining of abdominal pain for about a day and a half, but she was on her period, so I kind of thought it was maybe just cramps. But then it moved into her lower right abdomen, and I got concerned that maybe it was her appendix. Anyway, long story short, 5 hours at the ER and a $50 copay to be billed later, it turns out she was dealing with some internal blockage, although not anything serious. Basically she just needed to poop lol. So they did what they needed to to treat that, and now we're finally home, worn out but grateful it wasn't her appendix. Daisy actually had the exact same issue a couple of months ago and we ended up taking her to the ER as well with the same result, so I'm going to do some serious reevaluating of their fiber intake!

When I got home I had to make deviled eggs for Nick's Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and work on the Etsy order I have to mail out, also tomorrow (or today, I guess). And now I'm all done, and I'm headed to bed! Good night all!

Busy November

I've not gotten to post as much as I wanted to this month - it's just been so busy! But God has still been showering us with blessings!

Nick had some side work fixing Robert and Faith's car, which really helped us out.  And the day before payday, when we were in need of some basics, he sold a couple of used tires on Craigslist for $40. I also had three photo shoots this month, although one was Faith's maternity shoot, which I didn't charge her for, and the other was Melanie's, which I only made $40 on. But the last one was Melanie's mother-in-law's class reunion, and I made a little over $250 on it, which was a big help. I also got an Etsy order yesterday, and tonight I'm supposed to go out to an old classmate's house to measure her daughter for some skirts.

This season is going to be a busy one for us, or me anyway. Right now I'm taking a break from editing the reunion pictures. I have to finish those, then make about 60 CDs, package and address them, then mail them out to the different attendees.

Then I've got to make my Etsy order, and I've got to make some things for my partner in the handmade gift exchange I'm participating in again. I've also got to finish collecting info and pictures for 8 photo calendars for Christmas gifts, put those together, and order them.

I have some other financial needs this week. God knows what they are, and I would as always appreciate your prayers that He brings in the money I need.

Robert and Faith's baby is still not here, but God has really worked some miracles with his growth in the last few weeks. Faith goes in to the hospital at 5:00 tomorrow afternoon to start Cervidil (sp?), which is supposed to encourage her body to go into labor. Of her water hasn't broken on its own by midnight they will induce her, and the baby should be here Thursday. Please also be in prayer for a safe and easy delivery and a healthy baby! I've got to think of a name for him on here! :)

I've been working on Christmas gifts a bit. I mad Jack a Plex shirt since he's a huge fan of Yo Gabba Gabba. It's not perfect, but I think he will love it. I also got him a matching Plex beanie doll. I made Morgan a pillow for her soon to be redone bedroom. That's what she's getting for Christmas from just about everyone, including curtains and bedding and some new clothes storage from my parents, various accessories from me and Nick, and a new set of made-by-Papaw bunk beds from Nick's parents. I also ordered her a Rainbow Loom and extra bands that I found for a crazy good deal online. Daisy wants an Easy Bake oven with her whole heart, so that's what my parents got her, and I'm going to be packaging up some DIY mixes for her to use in it.

I've got various other gifts in the works, including handmade stockings for all the various siblings and parents and children. I think I'm looking at 35 in all. Fortunately they're a pretty quick and easy sew - I just need the space and kid free time to cut out all the  pattern pieces.

I'm loving all the Elf on the Shelf ideas on Pinterest. I've always wanted to do it with the kids, but the set is something like $35, so it will have to wait till another year.

Anyway, I'm off to bed at a relatively reasonable hour tonight. Good night, all!

Welcome, Welcome!

Happy LOL Day! This is the eighth year we've rolled out the welcome mat for all of you that read our blogs but never comment. I hate to admit it, but I'm a terrible commenter myself, so I do understand you all. BUT, that doesn't mean I don't want you to pop in and say hello! I've met some wonderful friends here over the years, and I look forward to meeting more! What you'll find here is some pretty casual posting by a girl who is blessed beyond her wildest dreams to have 3 gorgeous kids and be married to the most amazing man who fulfills my dreams of a DD marriage. I'm an awful lot like a lot of you (I know, because some of you email me!), and I sure would like to know if you read here and can relate, or find hope, or maybe a little encouragement. Speak up and let me know you're here!

Soon to arrive...

Well, it looks like Robert and Faith's sweet baby boy will likely be here on Wednesday. She's not due until the 28th, but she's dealing with some of the same things I did with Jack, like low blood flow to the placenta and a tiny little guy as a result. They think he's perfectly healthy, praise God, just small. They're estimating somewhere around 4 pounds right now, which is about what they thought Jack would be, although he turned out to be 3lb 11oz. And to tell you the truth, I can't wait to get that itty bitty baby in my arms! I really never thought I'd get my hands on another one that small, so it will be a treat to snuggle him up.

To give you an idea, this was Jack snuggled up in Morgan's American Girl sized bed when he was about 3 weeks old:

I did their maternity pictures on Monday, and I really think they turned out great! This Saturday I'll be doing Brandon and Melanie's, and I've had a couple of other people interested in shoots as well, so that's definitely something to be grateful for!

Sweet weekend

Well, I didn't post last night, because I actually put myself to bed early for once! I'm usually fighting not to doze off during the morning church service on Sundays, not because I'm not interested, but because I've not gotten enough sleep. So I decided to listen to my body for once and turn in early. I went up about 9:00 to finish my book before going to sleep. Of course Jack and Daisy stood at the door calling for me for a while before Nick heard them and called them off lol. Eventually, my book done, Daisy tried again, and I couldn't resist her "I just want to snuggle you, Mommy!" so I let her in. By the time it was all said and done it was 11:00 before I actually got to go to sleep, and even then she fell asleep in bed with me, but it was still earlier than normal for me, and with the time change I was pretty well rested this morning.

Faith's baby shower was yesterday, and they got so much stuff! I was so happy for them, and the shower was darling!

Today we finally got to go to the corn maze, and the kids had a blast! They had these big slides made out of big drainage pipes, and Jack going down them all by himself was the cutest thing ever! We ran into some friends of mine - actually James's best friend and his wife and kids, so it was nice to have some other parents to socialize with while the kids played.

Tomorrow I'm doing Faith's maternity pictures, and Saturday I'm doing Melanie's. I can't wait till these babies get here!

So many sweet blessings in my life lately!

Happy November!

Happy November, party people! We're in the month of Thanksgiving, and around here that means ratcheting up the gratitude! God is so good, all the time, but oftentimes I'm a spoiled brat who focuses on my stress and forgets what I've been blessed with. I spent a little while earlier looking back on Novembers past here on the blog, and while I've not always done a daily post, it's still humbling to see how relentlessly God had blessed and cared for us over the years. So without further ado, a few recent gifts:

We had some really big bills this week. Like Nick's average paycheck would have left us several hundred dollars short, even utilizing every available option available to us. What he brought home instead was several hundred dollars more than usual. It was just a crazy busy pay period, and while we're still stretching to cover gas and groceries, it is so incredibly much better than it could have been. The thing is, I didn't even realize until after I saw his pay stub just how many things we had to take care of this week, so God was providing before we even knew we had the need!

Next Saturday I have a photo shoot, which will bring in a little bit of money.

Nick and I really enjoyed our haunted hike date night about a week ago. It wasn't the sort of thing with people jumping out at you. Rather it was a hike along a very old trail with the park ranger telling us stories about the real families who once lived there and the reported hauntings in their history. What was really neat is that after talking to my mom it looks like the families in question are likely some of my ancestors, as my great grandmother's maiden name was the same as one family, she married someone with the same name as the second family, and she was from that area.

Faith got to put in her notice at her job today, which is directly related to another recent blessing. It has always been her and Robert's desire and conviction for her to be a stay at home mom when their baby comes (in about 4 weeks!). Unfortunately Robert was only on a part time salary as our pastor, and he just didn't make enough to support the three of them on only his income. But they've been steadily praying about it along with the rest of the family, and a couple of weeks ago, with absolutely no suggestion or input from him, her, or anyone from either family, the church voted to increase his pay by several hundred dollars a week as well as add a weekly fuel allowance for him. It was actually more than the number they'd been praying about, and it allowed Faith to go in today and put in her notice.

Tomorrow is also Faith's baby shower, and I'm very excited to be a part of it.

We had a fun and safe Halloween - Morgan, after endless angst, settled on being a black cat, the sum total of which included black pants, a black tank top, and a headband I whipped up some cat ears for out of scrap leather at the last minute. Daisy had been set on going as a "girl ghost", but I didn't have a spare white sheet to cut up. And about a week ago I made a last minute decision to go to a Trunk or Treat at our YMCA and had to come up with some quick and easy costumes. Morgan went as a One Direction fan (guys, she's obsessed!), Jack went as a farmer (long sleeve shirt, overalls, and camo ball cap), and Daisy went as a baby, in fuzzy footed pjs. She was supposed to have a pacifier too, but I couldn't find one at the time. Anyway, she went as a baby on Halloween, and we stepped it up a bit that night with a pacifier and bottle. Jack went as a cowboy in some cute cowboy costume pjs I found for $5 at Walmart earlier in the day.

Wednesday I was really sick, some sort of stomach virus, which didn't feel like much of a blessing, but I was certainly grateful that my parents were able to stop by and stay for a few hours and watch the kids while I suffered through it. They also brought by a few groceries, which is always a help.

Walgreens.com (not an affilate link) is also running a free photo collage deal through tomorrow with code BOOCOLLAGE, which I plan on taking advantage of.

And I've lost 15 pounds so far, so yay!

Anyway, those are just a few sweet things that have come into my life lately. Hope you guys will play along and take note of your own blessings - I promise it will make every day better!

Hello, hello

Well, I feel like I should've posted days ago, but I've just been so busy! Let's see...

Last Thursday was my birthday. I'm going to hang onto the fact that 36 is still considered my mid-thirties. The actual day was kind of lame (as for some reason it always is), but I had plenty of blessings surrounding the event. 

Kate sent me a $50 Visa gift card, which came a couple of weeks before my birthday and unfortunately had to be spent on groceries and (literally) a couple of gallons of gas for my car. It sucks when that happens, but it was still a blessing that it came when it did so that I could feed the family for a few days.

Nick got me a 2 TB external hard drive, which I've needed forever. In fact, the last wedding I shot completely filled up the hard drive on my computer before I even finished the editing, and I was in a little bit of a panic about it before he brought out the new one. 

My mom and dad of course bought our YMCA membership, and my mom also showed up on my birthday with homemade banana bread, a bag of Giardelli chocolate raspberry squares, and three small gifts "from the kids". There was a very pretty journal from Daisy, a canvas zipper tote and cosmetics case from Morgan, and a little stationary/organizer set from Jack. 

My in-laws took us all to Chick-Fil-A for my birthday, and they went in with Kelly and Grant on this Thirty-One purse for me.

Robert and Faith got me $20 to JoAnn's (yay!), and James got me $40 to Hobby Lobby (wheee!). I went to Hobby Lobby the same night and got a bunch of stuff - three different fabrics to make Christmas gifts with, some cool printed feathers to make earrings for Morgan and her cousins for Christmas, and three bags of leather scraps, which I use for all kinds of jewelry and bags. So, maybe not exactly anything for me, but I loved the shopping, and I'll probably make a thing or two for myself out of some of it. I went to Joann's yesterday and got some sweet soft baby blanket material for our upcoming additions (Faith's in November, Melanie's in December, and Kelly's in April) and a set of gorgeous stamps that I can just picture using in ornament and jewelry making.

Nick's grandmother got me a bottle of lotion from Bath and Body Works. 

And Nick also let me go to Belk and get some boots and much needed makeup. 

We've had a full and fun few weeks. Nick's stepmom's parents live about an hour and 1/2 from us, and we've only seen them a handful of times in the 14 years she and Nick's dad have been married. They're in their late seventies/early eighties, and they don't like to make the drive, so my in-laws usually drive up to see them. On the 12th Morgan randomly had a soccer game scheduled about 15 minutes from their house, so we decided to turn it into a family visit. (Actually, we were invited - we didn't just decide to barge in on them). This was our first visit there, and I took some pictures of them that I hope will be meaningful to my MIL for Christmas. On the way home Nick's parents took us out to eat at Cracker Barrel, which was a huge treat for us.

Last Monday I took Logan's one year pictures, and I'm almost done editing them.

I finally got all the engagement/rehearsal dinner/wedding pictures edited and turned over to the bride from the wedding a few weeks ago. She ended up getting around 2000 images, and let me tell you, I was glad to be done with them!

This past Saturday was our church picnic, which was a lot of fun. It was actually held at that groom's parent's house, so I got to sit with the bride as she saw all the pictures since she hijacked their TV to play a slide show on as soon as she could. :) She really liked them, which was a relief.

Sunday we tried to go to a local corn maze and pumpkin patch. I scored some super cheap tickets to it a few weeks ago on one of the daily deal sites, and I'd been anxiously awaiting surprising the kids with them. Unfortunately the place was crazy packed, and after 20 minutes of driving around confirming that there was not one parking space open on the whole farm we abandoned the plan for the day. We're going to try to go again this Saturday.

This Friday Nick and I are planning to go on a Haunted Hike, and I can't wait!

Anyway, that's what's up with us - how about you guys?

Floods (of blessing and otherwise)

***Fair warning, this post is a bit long, but I need to have my eyes on my blessings right now, and I've been awfully blessed!***

I've got to be honest, I'm kind of stressed right now. Within the last few hours: Jack threw up everywhere as soon as we put him to bed. Pretty sure the fact that Morgan was dipping him upside down a few minutes earlier had something to do with that. But anyway, pretty much any vomit in the house is dealt with by me, not because I have such a strong stomach (I don't), but because everyone else is worse, and I don't want to have to clean up even more. So I sent Daisy for a towel and Morgan for the baby wash, and I got him hosed down and smelling fresh, a plan he tried to derail by crying and trying to get out of the tub the whole time and finally just peeing in the tub. Once I had him clean I took him to Nick to diaper and put in fresh pajamas while I changed his bed clothes and took everything to the garage to wash.

Finally we got all three kids settled in bed and I went upstairs to change my own clothes. As soon as I got to the bedroom I could hear the water in the bathroom sink on full blast. As no one had been upstairs for about 15-20 minutes, this was alarming. Sure enough, the sink was overflowing and there was about half an inch of water covering the floor, and it was running down into the floor vent. 

That of course had to be dealt with quickly, and while I cleaned up Nick went to the girls' room to investigate. I assumed Daisy would have been the culprit, but no, when I sent Morgan upstairs to get a new sheet for Jack's bed she decided to wash her hands and somehow neglected to turn the water off at all. So now the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom is nice and soft. 

I actually did almost the exact same thing when I was 10, so I can't be too mad, but it was still frustrating. After all that we sat down and watched a movie, Parental Guidance, which was really cute, then Nick went to bed.

Then I sat down and went through the bills and realized that taking every humanly available option into account, we're going to be a couple of hundred dollars short this pay period (which just began two days ago and won't end till Friday after next). I knew we were going to be really tight because of a few different things, but it's frustrating that it's short, and that much. Of course God can provide, and He always does, but I would really appreciate your prayers that He will send the money we need. 

I also just started my period, and when I came upstairs a little while ago to take my shower I found that the water had dripped down into the cabinet under the sink and soaked most of my pads and three precious rolls of toilet paper. Fortunately it didn't get them all, but I was hoping we'd have enough to get us through this pay period, and now I'm fairly sure we won't, at least not with what we have right now. It also soaked my almost completely full box of tampons, but it just got the box itself, and the tampons all stayed dry inside their wrappers.

The great news is that I caught it when I did (before it soaked the bedroom carpet and completely destroyed the downstairs bathroom ceiling), and we didn't have any phones, Ipads, or my Kindle plugged up charging on the sink. That's where we charge them every night, usually when we go to bed, but sometimes I'll leave my Kindle there all day, or we might plug our phones up early if they're dying. Thank God they were all elsewhere. 

BUT, after all that drama, I got into a shower with running hot water and washed and conditioned my hair and dried off with a fluffy towel and generally enjoyed a standard of living 90% of the world doesn't have. First world problems indeed. So I wanted to sit down and post about all the blessings God has showered on us lately, because that's where I need to focus!

First of all, my mom showed up with a HUGE load of groceries last week, so we're in much better shape than we could be. I actually didn't have to buy very much household staple stuff at Walmart, which is always a relief. 

She also really blessed us with something else. Several weeks ago her kitchen stove stopped working. It's a really nice double oven model, but they'd had it for 12 years, so they figured maybe it had just worn out. They remodeled their kitchen last year and got mostly new appliances, so they decided to just bite the bullet and replace it as well. So they purchased the newer model of the one they had, and because my mom is a great shopper they got it for a very good deal.

The other day they delivered the new stove, and when my dad went to move out the old one, they noticed that one of the connector wires was loose. They tightened it back up and it worked perfectly! My mom called me to tell me about it, and she said that she was planning to put the old stove on Craigslist, but that if they couldn't sell it for a decent price, she was going to give it to me. I was excited about the possibility, but I also felt bad that they'd bought a new stove unnecessarily, and I assured her that I wanted her to get some money out of it and that I would pray that it would sell. 

She called me back later and told me that she and my dad had just decided that it would be a hassle to list it and that they would be unlikely to get what they wanted out of it and they would rather just give it to us! So Nick went out to get it that night, and it's sitting in our garage waiting on us to get the time to install it. :)

The funny thing is that not long before all that happened I was randomly telling Nick that if and when we move I'd love to have a house with a double oven. Isn't it awesome how God sometimes blesses us with things we haven't even asked for?

Friday we went to our local trampoline park with our church's youth group. This was a huge treat. We've been once before (actually Nick and the girls went for the first time when Kate was in town this summer, and we went once as a family after that). This is a fairly new facility in our city, and it is SO MUCH FUN, but it's kind of expensive, so it not something that's really on our regular rotation. It was a lot of fun to get to go and take not only ourselves and the kids, but also a couple of Morgan's friends, and the church paid for it all! They even bought pizza for everyone afterwards.

I also had an order for a scarf for a girl at church. I had made one for Kelly for her birthday, and the girl saw it and asked me to make her one too. I had about $4 in the material, and that was enough to make 2 scarves and a matching hair clip. She paid me $8, and I was able to use the extra scarf and the hair clip as a gift for one of Morgan's friends whose birthday party she had to go to today. 

Another neat thing was something Kelly told me today. One of the things I sent Will for his birthday was a paracord survival bracelet I made in the school colors and with the logo for his alma mater, of which he is a huge supporter. The strap on my camera is one I made from paracord, and he was admiring it when we were in Texas. 

I ordered the logo charm months ago off Etsy for a couple of dollars, I was kind of excited about it. He's so hard to buy or make stuff for, just because I don't really feel like I know him all that well, plus he has the money to buy really whatever he wants, but I was pretty sure this was a winner. But as I sent it off I started to doubt myself and worry that maybe he wouldn't like it after all. 

Today Kelly told me that she was talking to Kate, and that she said he was really excited about it, but when he tried to wear it, it was a little too small and that he was really disappointed that it didn't fit. Of course I hate that it was too small, but I love that he really was excited about it, and I'm having Kate mail it back to me so I can remake it to fit him. It always makes me feel so great when someone really loves a gift I make them!

And one of the biggest blessings lately was Daisy's birthday. She's such a sweet little girl, and I really wanted to make the day special for her. I stayed up late the night before (with permission) sewing up her birthday skirts. That was all she had asked me for other than  a Baby Alive doll, so a few weeks ago I let her pick out some fabric, and I think she did great! I had her 5 skirts from the material she chose, plus a birthday outfit I made with a skirt, headband, and matching birthday cake shirt, and the doll she wanted. I also found a nice stuffed bear and elephant at a thrift store. I made the bear a bow and blanket, and I made the elephant a skirt to match her birthday outfit. 

Kate had sent her $50 to The Children's Place, so a few days ago I took her shopping. The gift cards were literally all the money I had, so I had to make sure we kept it within that amount. I found a 20% off coupon in a coupon book my mother-in-law gave me a few weeks ago, and we took our time and looked for bargains. She chose three shirts, two pairs of jeans, and a pair of shoes. When the girl rang us up it came to $52 and some change. Later on I realized that one of the shirts rang up $5 too much, but at the time I thought I had just miscalculated, so I gently told her we would have to put something back. The cashier told me to hang on, and she found a 30% off coupon for us to use instead! Not only did we have enough for everything she wanted, but she also had enough then to get a necklace and two bracelets! That sweet cashier sure made my day!

The morning of her birthday (Saturday) I asked her if she wanted to wear her new jeans with the birthday shirt that was one of the three she bought that day, but she declared that she wanted to wear the shirt with a skirt. One of the skirts I had made her just happened to match it perfectly, so I stuck it in a gift bag and let her go ahead and open it. She loved it, and so out the door we went with a new outfit, complete with the sparkly new shoes that also matched perfectly.

First of all I took all three kids to McDonald's for a cheap lunch. Then we went to this tiny little cash only thrift store. I had $1.50 in cash, so I let her go through the toys and see what she wanted. She had seven things in her shopping basket, and I told her that we might have to choose her favorites depending on the price. When I put them up on the counter I told the cashier that we might have to put a few back as she was doing her birthday shopping herself and only had $1.50. The lady promptly declared that the total was $1, and Daisy very importantly handed it over.

Next we went to the Goodwill, where we had a little more leeway since they take the debit card. There she scored this awesome baby changing/feeding/bathing station for $3. 

The picture is just one I found online, but it's the same one, and it had all the parts except the mobile and the plastic bottles. The other side has more shelves behind doors that close as well as a sink and a changing area. She also found a few dolls, and we even got a few dolls for the nursery at church. 

After that we went to Froyoz, which is a frozen yogurt place that she asks to go to literally almost every time we pass it, which is about 3 times a week. We hadn't been able to take her, so I really wanted to do it as a special birthday treat. I had a buy one get one free coupon for there, so it was also really cheap. 

She wanted to go home and play with her thrift store purchases, so I dropped her, Morgan, and Jack at home while I ran to take some library books back. While I was out I stopped at the Dollar Tree and picked up some little plastic bins and mini packs of diaper wipes for her changing station, as well as a couple of birthday balloons. 

By the time I got home Nick was home from work, and we all loaded up to go out to my parents' house. My mom had balloons on the porch and a birthday banner on the front door, and she had the dining room in full on princess party decor. There was a birthday tiara and more gifts than we could have imagined. Nick's parents came, as well as Kelly, Grant, Logan, James, Robert, Faith, my aunt and my two first cousins as well as their daughters and son. She got SUCH cute clothes, as well as four pairs of shoes for winter (much needed), and several toys as well.

This morning she insisted on wearing her birthday outfit to church, complete with tiara, and I figured why not? At least she got another use from the birthday shirt. :)

Renewed

I got spanked a little while ago. I honestly wasn't thinking anything about it when Nick got up to give me my usual good night kiss before heading up to bed, so it caught me off guard when he said "Let's go upstairs for a minute."

I followed him up and went to pee, and when I came out of the bathroom he was sitting on the bed holding the Jokari paddle. There was a lot of conversation and some lecturing too, and I was surprised to hear myself say the words "I just don't want you to give up on me." And there it was, the real reason I felt so unsettled when he didn't punish me the other night. 

"I'm not giving up on you. If I was we wouldn't be having this conversation." And of course, even knowing how I would feel when it was over, I seriously didn't want to be spanked, but what it boiled down to was that I should have done what I was told the first time, and I was going to get a paddling whether I liked it or not.

It felt like it had been forever since I'd gotten a spanking, and he was intent on making his point. There were tears not very far in, and I had to be told to stay put more than once. But of course when it was over and he was holding me and telling me he was sorry he'd had to spank me, and I was telling him I was sorry I'd disobeyed, I felt immensely better, and we ended the night in sweet spirits.

Later

Well, I got the kitchen all clean. And I even had dinner ready for him when he got home. He said dinner was good, and we spent an innocuous evening in front of the TV. He fell asleep on the couch, so he was pretty out of it when I dragged him up to bed. I asked him if we were good now that the kitchen is clean, and right before he fell fast asleep again he said "We'll deal with it later." So I'm not sure what that means now.

Scattered.

I've been stretching myself a little thin lately. Last month, besides going to the gym and taking Morgan to soccer practice and games, I've had three doctor's visits for the kids, one dentist appointment, a couple of Etsy orders, some mending for a girl at church, birthday gifts to make for Robert, Kelly, and Will, Trick or Treat bags to make for Kit and Maddox, a Halloween wreath to make for Kate (I needed the last three done so early so I could mail them all together with Will's birthday gift to Texas), sewing for Daisy's birthday, mending for Nick (broken zipper on his gym bag), and three photo shoots for the same couple - one engagement, one rehearsal dinner, and one wedding, and we're talking over 2600 shots that needed to be culled, edited, and converted from RAW format. I'm still working my way through those since the rehearsal dinner and wedding were just this last weekend.

This month promises to be just as busy. Friday we have a youth event at church that Nick and I will be helping with, Saturday is Daisy's birthday (fourth!) which entails a small family party and for which I still have a few skirts to sew (her special birthday request), Sunday is our church's homecoming, the 10th is Logan's first birthday and party (have to make him a gift), the 12th I have Faith's maternity shoot, the 13th is Melanie's baby shower (for which I have yet to make a gift), the 16th is James' birthday (gotta make a gift) the 17th is my birthday, although I don't have any plans for it, the 19th is the church picnic, the 26th is Faith's baby shower (and yes, I still need to make her a gift). And of course Halloween is 5 days later, and I'm going to have to come up with 3 costumes somewhere, although Daisy is making it easy for me by insisting on going as a "girl ghost" (white sheet with eye holes and a pink bow on top, and done!).

All of that is to say that I've let some things around here go. Like everything. The house has truly gotten to an atrocious state, and my car was the same. Saturday I had to leave for the wedding earlier than Nick. He was actually running the sound system for the ceremony, but I had to get there early to start photographing the bride getting ready. I took his truck so that he could have the car to drop the kids and car seats off at his parents' house since they were going to bring them to the wedding and watch them so we could work. Many exhausting hours later we switched cars back after the wedding, and I got in mine to find it absolutely spotless. When I got home, the living room was immaculate.

Now obviously I really appreciate Nick doing all of that for me (with Morgan's help). It took a huge load off of me, but it also made me feel really, really guilty. He'd mentioned the car and the house, the living room especially a few times over the last few weeks, and I knew I was dropping the ball. So when all of a sudden something I'm supposed to do gets taken off my plate, I feel like there's bound to be a cost to that, and that maybe there should be. So when I apologized that he'd had to do it himself that night, he informed me that he was going to deal with it later, which in our house means a spanking.

And I was...relieved. Not that I wanted to get spanked, just that I felt like I probably deserved to, and that the universe would be back in balance so to speak once it happened. The truth is, I've not been handling my time wisely, and when I let things get too crazy, I really do need him to come down hard on me. I hate it at the time, but it refocuses me, and it reminds me that there are consequences to my actions. 

Even with the kids in bed at a reasonable hour these days, it's rare for a punishment to happen the same night it's brought up, so I wasn't surprised that he went to bed without handling it that night. But the next day I was fairly sure he was going to do it after the kids were in bed. To my surprise, he went to be without mentioning it again, and by that point I had reached the stage where I genuinely dread and fear what's coming, so I decided that was a positive thing. When I went up a couple of hours later and he snuggled up behind me with sweeter things on his mind I was pleasantly surprised and more than willing. 

"This is a nice surprise," I murmured. "I though I was getting a spanking tonight."

"Mmm..you need one," he answered. But then he wasn't interested in talking anymore, and by the time we were done he had decided to let it go. 

The next morning he told me he wanted me to work on the house and concentrate on the kitchen. But the day was crazy, and I spent it editing pictures, chasing kids, and keeping the living room as clean as he'd had it, and somehow the kitchen didn't get done.

Today he came home early from work, sick to his stomach and battling a headache. I gave him something for the pain and put him to bed, and he slept a good 4 or 5 hours. I worked on the kitchen some, but I also did a lot of child wrangling and picture editing, and it still isn't done. Tonight when he went to bed he told me that he wants me to have it done tomorrow, and I plan to do just that. But I feel like I've gotten away with something I shouldn't have, like I ran over him by not focusing on what he asked me to do, and I don't like it.