The Cottage on the Hill

Some of my past posts have been in earnest for a set of bookcases for my living room. From what I can tell, these bookcases will not come to be for some time. Priority #1 is that closet in the master bedroom. So, I'm typing away on the computer and I look to my left and there's a beautiful shelf system that my parents gave me that used to house toys when my siblings and I were children. Now, it's housing sewing stuff: a broken sewing machine, a doll bed, a sewing kit, straw hats, a box of projects, scraps and fabric, sewing supplies, another sewing kit, craft supplies, and tent canvas. It also hands several bags, my clothespin bag, plastic boning and a hair extension! Hmmm...I'm wondering if I can find new homes for this junk and move this shelving unit upstairs to be a double-sided bookcase for the living room! Time to grab the tape measure and start figuring things out! Still, I'd like to eventually get those bookcases. Other things I'm considering: 1. Whe...

As the days slowly get longer, sunnier and warmer, my palate has been bugging me for something fresh, light and purely spring-like. I've been pouring through my cookbooks looking for recipes for fruit salads, leafy green salads, waldorf salads, creamy pies, etc. Gone are my yearnings for hot-from-the-oven cookies, heavy winter meals, winter vegetables, hot herbal teas and citrus. Now, I want light, whipped desserts, BBQ, corn on the cob and straight from the garden veggies, lemonade and berries. If I have the means, I may indulge in this week's grocery run for a fruit salad and ingredients for an icebox pie. Yum!

Please visit my All Things Feminine blog for a pic of me pregnant at 24 weeks! The link to that blog is just to the right.

Yesterday, I warmed my little house in more than one ways by baking delicious, nutritious banana bread from Nourishing Traditions. It came out so yummy! This morning, I made french toast out of some of it. Not only was it delicious, but filling! I love quick breads, but hubby isn't very keen on them, so I don't make them very often. But, between Bubby and I, we'll devour the loaf before it goes bad. :)

The other day I had the opportunity to watch some HGTV. The program was about this mother-daughter team who went to houses on the market and helped the sellers improve their chances of selling the house. Two of the four sellers featured complained that their house was just too small now that they were venturing into having two children. In one case, the children were the same gender. In the other, the 2nd child was still in utero and the gender not revealed. In both cases, the house was bigger than mine! As they walked through the houses, I kept seeing all it's potential, even for a growing family. A big plus - eat-in kitchens! So, what were the sellers' problems with their houses? Both sellers said that they needed more bedrooms. Ummmm....what's wrong with siblings sharing a room? I shared a room with my 3 brothers for about a decade. Then, my dad divided up the big bedroom into two tiny ones and I shared a space smaller than many of today's walk-in closets w...

Ok, I ditched 3 of the 6 Bob the Builder videos that I found most troublesome. I'll keep the other 3 unless I feel they need to go. Also, I just wanted to reiterate that just because I'm tossing Bob doesn't mean I think everyone should. We all have our little pet peeves and quirks. I know parents who are fiercly against any TV whatsoever, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad Mama for letting my little one watch a little tube. But, back to the original premise of my post: I was at a baby shower this past weekend and was able to bring along my son. The other children at the shower just loved playing with him and he had a grand time. A couple of times, he just went off onto a rug by himself and made boy noises with a toy truck and some toy cars. Over all, he just enjoyed himself. During the playtime with the other children, a balloon literally burst right in front of his face. It frightened him and he started crying. There was a collective "awwwww" from ...

I'm seriously considering getting rid of my son's Bob the Builder VHS tapes. It's a cute show, but there's some points that bother me: 1. Bob always talks in a whiny tone. 2. A couple of episodes have out and out lying in them with no consequences. 3. Lofty is a boy crane truck who's very scared and unsure. When everyone else declares "Yes We Can!" he says, "Yeah...I think so." His fears often prevent him from getting the job done right, inconviences others, prevents him from being able to save those in danger, and is just plain annoying. Muck, the girl truck often has to mother him and everyone treats his fears as just a part of him and something to deal with. Frankly, I think this crane truck needs a good chewing out by John Wayne like he did to the stuttering boy in The Cowboys movie. Lofty's babied fears are not only unmasculine, but shows that it's ok to let your fears prevent you from doing your responsibilities. 4. Spud, the ...

Nesting for me usually means re-arranging and purging. Since I can't re-arrange without key pieces of furniture I can't afford right now, I've been purging. Yesterday, I went through Bubby's books and got rid of the highly damaged ones and ones I felt he didn't need. He has so many books already! Today, I went through the DVD's, CD's and VHS tapes and got rid of ones that I aren't watched, listened to, or damaged. Now, I'm all antsy and I want to purge more. Sometimes the urge gets so strong I have to go online and hit my e-mail boxes and start deleting, or clean out my favorites section, or dump stuff on my hard drive. We were generously given money for our anniversary and I'm going to ask hubby if he wants to use it to buy wood for various household projects. He needs a hobby bench for his man cave and I could use a closet in the master bedroom as well as two bookcases for the living room. I hope agrees, because this preggy lady needs to...

The Bible warns us many times to guard our tongues. We know we should be slow to speak, avoid profane words, etc. But, do we make sure our Christian words don't turn into Christian slang? Sometimes, I think Christians use Christian words to either appear more holy, or make a stronger spiritual point that really doesn't work. Sometimes, I think we just get used to using the words in a slang-ish way. In short, we should mean what we say. Here are some Christian words that can turn into Christian slang: 1. " It's been on my heart." Has it really been on your heart or has it just been on your mind. There is a difference. Heart implies a Christ-backing to your thoughts. Mind implies it's all you thinking about it. If it's truly been on your heart, then by all means say that it has been. But, if it's something that you've just been mulling over in your mind, or something more casual, just say it's been on your mind. No need to "chur...

I certainly picked a hoot of a time to whisper my dog! I've been watching episodes of The Dog Whisperer and I've read Cesar Millan's book. I know it's what my dog needs, but it being very much winter and me being pregnant and a mother to a toddler makes it very difficult to follow his formula which includes an hour's walk first thing in the morning. I'm usually exhausted and starving to bother taking a walk before the sun even rises. It's also dangerously cold and my dog is a short-haired dog with exposed paw pads. On top of that, I can't very well leave my sleeping son at home while I wander about the neighborhood with my dog! Still, I need to follow through somehow. I might just have to ignore it until at least March and then start the process of the walk. In the meantime, I'll work on being pack leader in the house and use February to help organize a routine. Of course, my pregnancy is far more important than my dog getting enough exercise ...

I dislike having a sloppy house on Sunday, so I'm going to spend today cleaning and organizing so I can enjoy a tidy home tomorrow. What are your Saturday plans?

I was just thinking about the saying, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy," and it dawned on me how true and dynamic that is! I was taken aback by how influential and important and even powerful a wife and mother is to her family! A wife and mother is the nucleus of the family. Her attitudes, emotions, prayers and actions all have a deep influence on each member of the family. Her attitudes, emotions, prayers and actions can make or break a family. Remember that.

Hubby and I's anniversary is tomorrow. He got me a beautiful locket. I have very little money to spend on him, so with the help of some brainstorming friends, I've decided to make him several small gifts and then buy a few small gifts so they total the number of years we've been married. Here's what I've come up with so far: 1. Brag Book (printed off pics from the computer and bound them in a brag book) 2. Coupon Book (being pregnant and then dealing with a newborn, it's easy for a wife to lose track of her hubby. These naughty little coupons will help hubby let me know that it's time to pay attention to him. Some are not naughty, but for times when he needs some peace and quiet or some guy-time.) 3. Bubby Bookmark (hubby's been reading a lot lately, but uses whatever's laying around as a bookmark. I'm going to make him a bookmark that shows Bubby from birth to now) 4. His favorite candy 5. A book or magazine he'd like 6. Something else....

Just take a look at my blog now. Can you guess the gender of the baby? ;)

I've been super-motivated today and have been cleaning from room to room. It hasn't taken that long, either, although, I still have a couple more rooms to do. The only problem is I forgot hubby wanted me to try and visit his parents today. It's too late now because Bubby will need a nap soon and then it'll be too late in the evening. I'll have to make a promise for next week. The weather is more like March...rainy and warmer (40's F). I don't mind the mild temperatures. I have a couple windows cracked open. However, it's been so gloomy for so long, I'm looking forward to the cold weather that'll at least bring plenty of sunshine streaming through my windows! Apparently, that's supposed to happen next week. I'm glad I'm industrious today. I was afraid I'd be anxious and fidgety because tomorrow I find out the baby's gender (hopefully the little one will cooperate). It feels good to finally feel focused and energized.

I set up a new routine. I have a beautiful, lovely Amstaff dog who needs more exercise and discipline (especially before the new baby arrives.) She's a good dog, but when she gets excited about something, she doesn't listen. I really need her to listen and obey at all times. I'm a big fan of the Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan. I rent his TV series and I'm reading his book now. (It's amazing how much of it can apply to toddlers as well!) He's a big help because he deals a lot with pitbull-type dogs and "red zone" cases. Thankfully, my dog is NOT a red zone case, but she's definately a hyper dog at times and she's very strong and powerful. She's also smart and responds well to Cesar's techniques. I love Bully Breed dogs. If God chose to close my womb, I'd have opened a Bully Breed rescue. So, my new routine involves exercise for the dog and establishing my position as pack leader. I also want to get more chores done in the morni...