The Cottage on the Hill

Last year, hubby and I moved out of the larger bedroom in our two bedroom house and into the small one so the children could have more space.  Our current bedroom is only 7' x 9'.  While we don't mind our cozy little nook, I would like to redo the room.  It still has the paint scheme from when it was the nursery for our first born along with torn up remnants of the John Deere tractor wallpaper boarder.  That's not exactly conducive to a romantic atmosphere. Ideas haven't really been melding together very well, but there is a repeating theme of an exotic middle eastern flavor.  Then, this evening, it struck me.....Song of Solomon!  The bedroom can be themed around the verse above, which you can get as a vinyl wall decal.

Hubby has a friend who unwinds after long days of work by writing songs and singing them on youtube.  He's been hammering out nearly a song a day and they're good!  It inspired me to tackle poetry again as a way to unwind and let go of some "mommy angst." I wrote my first poem yesterday.  It tackles the feelings of worthlessness that haunt me, but I am not comfortable sharing it publicly.  The release of writing it out on paper and not having it bottled in me really helped and it was nice to dust off that creative corner of my brain. For a little bit of fun, though, here is a silly little poem I wrote in high school: Ode To A Dummy I love a little man Made of the best tree. This funny little man Named Charlie McCarthy. This Irish little man with lightening for his wit. This wooden little man Cracks jokes 'til our sides split. I love this little man From his monicle to top hat, This funny little man With the voice of a pussy-cat. This perfect little m...

Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet little man. He was our surprise baby, thanks to mommy reading the ovulation chart a week off! I'm so glad I did!

I actually have a summer reading list this year!  I haven't sat down and read books in a long time, except children's books.  Having a nursing baby affords me some time to just curl up while he's eating and easily read off of the Kindle on my smart phone!  It's easier than holding a book, which I haven't quite mastered while nursing. Here's what I have so far: Grade Leads Me Home by Marlene C. Miller is a true story about a woman who was a cheerleader and head majorette, but became Amish after she gave her life over to Christ. Married Mom, Solo Parent by Carla Anne Coroy is a great book helping women who find themselves married, but parenting alone.  Thankfully, my husband is an involved father, but his job does take him away from home frequently, hence why I got this book. Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love  by Larry Levin is a book I'm eager to read.  I did wind up buying it in actual book form since I could get it cheaper tha...

Life has been a whirlwind of baby care, child care and rearranging the house to accommodate our new little one.  I'm still not satisfied with the arrangement, but am working on it as much as I can without sacrificing time with my new baby and my older children.  It'll fall into place, I'm sure. Thanks to hubby, my garden is in.  Thanks to crummy weather and critters, half the garden is destroyed.  I hope to replant what I can.  What I can't, oh well.  I'm happy to have ANY garden this year.

I have to say that this has been the BEST post partum week I've ever had!  What an amazing testimony of God's grace! First of all, hubby took the week off of work and it has been a tremendous blessing to have him here loving on his family and treating me like a queen.  He worked hard with small children by his side and got my garden prepared for planting!  I thought for sure I'd have to skip out on a garden this year, yet as I type, little plants are dancing in the breeze.  As an added blessing, in perfect timing, our neighbor had to lime the field next door.  He saw our garden tilled and sent over a dump load of manure! Personally, I feel great!  I feel AMAZING!  I have so much energy and focus!  I cannot believe the night and day difference from how I felt during, and even before the pregnancy!  I'm healing very well and very quickly.  There are a few "kinks" in my system, such as my left hip keeps acting up on me.  Thankfully...

A little after 6 am on Friday, May 18, 2012, I was dosing in bed when I felt the tell-tale gush.  I looked at the clock, and realized that hubby wasn't all the way to work yet and said, "You've got to be kidding me!"  All the same, I was excited.....and a little apprehensive. Would it all work out with hubby's long commute?  Would the baby be ok being my 2nd earliest baby? The excitement won out while I called my husband and told him to turn around the come home.  I called my parents to arrange for my father to take me to the Woman's Center where I was to give birth.  I called the Center and they said to come right in.  I texted friends and my sister, took a shower, got all my stuff together, and once my father arrived, we went on down to the Center. Contractions hadn't started yet, and deep down I knew I should have stayed home until they did, but with the baby being a bit early, and my having a very faster labor with my daughter, it was recommende...

Lots of pain and pressure, but hardly any contractions! I'm waiting for labor to kick in and in the meantime, I'm just sitting around doing nothing because I can't concentrate on anything BUT going into labor!  I was always able to just get on with life with my other pending labors, but this time I can't seem to think straight or doing much of anything productive.  Then again, I've been pretty much like this this entire pregnancy!  Very unfocused.

I was sitting on the exam table in my OB's office today when she walked in, hand me lay down and started measuring my belly.  She said that I looked like I had dropped and she wanted to do an internal exam to check my progress.  After I was prepped, she did the exam and I nearly started laughing out loud as her eyes got wider and wider.  "You are 4 cm dilated and your cervix is really, really soft.  How far do you live from here?"  I told her it was about 20 minutes.  She replied, "As soon as your contractions are regular and painful or your water breaks, come to the hospital.  I will see you in a week if you're still pregnant by then." So, here we go!  It's happening!.  I'm just sitting around the house waiting for labor to start!  So far today I've had a little cramping, some strange pressure/pushy-ness, and Braxton-Hicks belly tightening.  I pray my water breaks first as it always has with my babies.  That's an easy, sure ...

Mama Chocolate is hosting a giveaway of a $200 Amazon.com gift card generously offered by OverHead Doors!  

I think I will actually make it to term this pregnancy, though I am hoping to go into labor Saturday evening.

I am selling my collection of vintage Holly Hobbie items.  If you are interested, please e-mail me at seamstresslady at yahoo dot com.

The baby is still in me! Good for baby, not so good for a mommy who's so ready to see her new little man and resume function as a normal human being. At this point, I think I will make it to 37 weeks. I have been having feet, ankles and hand swelling. I can feel my hips loosening. I feel like my very low abdomen is stretching. Baby has dropped more and sometimes I have that "sitting on his head" feeling. I am sleeping a bit better. I have more overall energy and I am nesting.

Strong but irregular contractions last night. Today, I feel very weak and very tired. I wonder how much longer I can go on like this. The days are dragging. But, I remember that I made it through weeks upon weeks of horrible morning sickness and that is well in my past. Time keeps marching on. I do look forward to next Monday. I won't be so restricted and can start doing things to promote a positive labor and delivery.

It's funny how one day I can feel really well and get a lot done.  And then there are days like today where I've already spent most of it in bed trying to nap and it is only 1 pm.  I'm cold today, too, craving cookies and cake, and feeling like a cold bug is coming on. In less than a week, I will be at our original projected goal of 35 weeks!  I think I'll go longer (*sigh*) since things don't seem to be progressing at all at this point.

Call it hormones.  Call it discomfort, but I've discovered that I'm starting to say some odd things like: 1. Get this baby out of me! 2. I don't want to do this anymore! 3. Stop trying to punch my sides out, baby! 4. URGH! (usually the sound I utter whenever I have to get up) 5. I can't wait to stop peeing so often! 6. Can't I just be put in a coma until I go into labor? 7. Wahhhhhhh....I can't get comfortable in any position! 8. (singing) "We're having a heat wave....." (in regards to my never-ending, rarely satiated heart-burn) 9. I just want to be human again!!! 10. I miss my little waistline! 11.  I hate my maternity clothes! 12. Nothing covers my belly anymore!

Veteran Homeschoolers, please advise.  If you see anything redundant or wasteful in my list, please let me know! Here is what I have planned so far: 1. PHONICS: -Phonics Pathways with Word Works, -Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, -Bob Books 2. GRAMMAR: -First English Grammar 3. SPELLING: -Spectrum Spelling Grade 1, -Modern Curriculum Press Spelling Workout 4. HAND WRITING: -Handwriting Without Tears, -Memoria Press Copywork Book 1 + 2, -Copywork for Little Boys 5. LANGUAGE ARTS: -Spectrum Language Arts Grade 1, -First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, -Writing With Ease 6. MATH: -Saxon Math 1 with K-3 Manipulatives 7. SCIENCE: -Backyard Science, -Answers in Genesis 8. HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES: -Community and Local History, -Reading Ancient History and Stories, -Civics 9. ART/MUSIC: -piano lessons, -Watch Me Draw, -Drawing is Basic 10. BIBLE/CHARACTER: -Reviewing Sunday School Lessons, -Character Lessons, -Proverbs

Today, I acted on impulse and bought the latest issue of Vogue magazine at the checkout line in the grocery store.  My reason?  Scarlett Johansson was on the cover and looking very vintage and lovely.  That's it.  I bought it for several lovely photographs done in vintage style....a waste of $4.00.  I probably could have found the photographs somewhere online. I got to thinking how much better things were in my youth when the impulse to buy magazines wasn't there because the money wasn't burning a hole in my wallet.  I grew up in a near poverty level home, but if it wasn't for the daily comparison of my peers at public school, I probably wouldn't have really noticed.  Looking back, I'm glad I grew up in that lifestyle. Instead of buying magazines, we were given used ones or my mother would paw through the free box at the local library.  I was introduced to Country Living and Victoria magazines as well as the Reiman Publications (Country, Remin...

My OB is setting the goal for 4 more weeks of pregnancy for me!  I will refuse an induction unless it is necessary for the baby's health, but he thinks if I continue to take it easy and not stress out, I can make it to 37 weeks.  I'm glad for this news.  Now, to just make those 4 weeks fly by!

My family is helping me out by taking care of my children until Friday so I can rest up and prepare for the arrival of the baby.  This afternoon I tackled the kids' room.  We live in a small cottage, so all 3 children share the same room.  Thus, it becomes cluttered and messy quickly.  I have come to the conclusion that children are garbage magnets!  All the little bits of paper, cheap toys, fuzzy-backed stickers, broken crayons, etc etc etc that they manage to hold on to amazes me. Children are cute and cute children tend to get gifts and hand-outs no matter where they go.  It seems well-meaning and kindly people, whether family, friends, clerks or strangers see adorable children and feel compelled to give them some little treat that winds up in my house.  Of course, I teach my children to accept the little blessing graciously, and they usually do, and then they may keep it for a time.  If I see it forgotten under the bed, it gets tossed. Unf...