Busy already this morning

So since I start a new job on Monday and have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn...I've been practicing this week getting up, getting everyone going, and trying to be on time. I think we are going to be able to accomplishi it with Bodie's help and getting up just a little earlier - Eeek!

It has been kind of nice to get up and get going before the rest of the world and feel like I've already done so much - versus sleeping my day away. However I think I will look forward to sleeping in on Sat.!

I've been meaning to take my grocery bags that I have with me on my, what seems like 600, grocery trips this week and have continued to forget them. However this morning I remembered to pull them out of the corner of the garage...ready to go! Then realized at Wal-mart that I forgot them again....grrrhh! But I'm going to run back to Kroger at lunch b/c they were marking down their meat this morning and we are going grill out tomorrow night for Bodie's parents...so if I could get it a little cheaper I would be so excited!

I am going to definately do a better job of menu planning for this coming week b/c I feel like I've spent so much money this week. Here comes the Envelope System! Any favorite receipes would be greatly appreciated - especially for garden green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes, and tomatoes. I think I'm going to try and steal, I mean borrow!, Mom's dehydrator and try to dehydrate some potatoes....We like the Au Gratin potatoes and my little freezing and drying book says that they do ok...I'll let you know.

Too much I know....

So I told you I was going to try and be better about this....Twice in one day! I have a mile long to-do list and I haven't felt like I have gotten anything hardly accomplished on it, but I think I made great strides this afternoon. I went through all of Rose's clothes and seperated her closet into what she could still wear (24 month and up, some 18 month clothes still though...). I can't believe how many clothes this little girl has! And how many she has never even gotten to wear...which only goes right back to the livestye of living more frugally that Bodie and I are trying to start doing. Maureen, Randi and I are having a yard sale on the 23rd of the month and I know that baby clothes usually sell really well, so I'm thinking about going through her bins (yes she has 3 extra large clothing bins - 0-6 months, 6-12 months, and 12-18 months chock full of clothes!) and getting out some clothes to sell. Bodie said go for it, so we will see.

I also got mine and Bodie's bathroom cleaned (and I mean cleaned - sink, toilet, and bathtub! Woo hoo for me!) - which for those of you who know me, you know how much I love cleaning so getting all of this done is a big accomplishment! Especially considering I didn't hardly even get started until around 3!

Sox (our new puppy) did really well about using the bathroom outside today - no accidents inside! I am amazed at how smart she is! Rose is still not completely sure of her at times...she loves Sox when she can pick her up and torment her, but not so much when Sox jumps on her! I don't know that I completely blame her because those puppy teeth hurt.

Last thing for the evening I got half the tree beds in the back yard sprayed with Round-up. I know this pretty much goes against every environmentally friendly thing I am trying to accomplish, but I just cannot stand weeds taking over my beds! Any ideas on a "green" method for complete weed eradication? We are going to look into the company around her that does "green" yard work and see if it is something that we can swing...we will see. Met the neighbors, they've got two younger kids - as do a lot of families in the neighborhood, which is really nice! - and they seemed super nice!

I did put new batteries in my camera and will hopefully be able to upload some pictures soon...got some cute ones of Sox and will hopefully have some nice ones of the house for everyone to see!

Will I ever catch up?

I have found a new passion for reading others' blogs which only makes me want to update ours more often! Bodie asked me the other day about our "blog"...."do we have one" he asked? Yes, I replied...."Does anybody look at it?"...No one besides Kelly (if I'm that lucky!) because I don't update it that much! So I am truly going to try and do better...which it really helps that we now have internet at the house!

We have moved in (sort of...there are still piles of crap everywhere!), and adopted a new dog on Sunday. She is 12 weeks old, a black lab mix named Sox and as soon as I have pictures (actually a camera that works) I will put some up! We are still looking for Loki, but wanted Rose and us to have a canine friend back in our lives.

Our lives have changed a little bit more here recently...I am starting a new job on Monday and leaving the insurance business. The pressure of sales quotas and the like proved to be more than I wanted or could handle right now. We want to have another child and decided that me being completely stressed out all the time was not the best way to attempt to bring another child into the world.

We are going to have to make some adjustments to our lives and we are both trying to bring ourselves on board. I have been reading lots of blogs about living frugally and have read Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover" and we are going to concentrate very hard on learning to live within our means and reducing our debt. So any help or ideas would be much appreciated!

That's about it for now...I will try to update a couple of times a week...that's my goal!

Changes...

A lot has changed in the past month...we have moved into our new home and with that came joy and sorrow. We are so excited to have our own place, however in moving the plumbers let Loki out and she has not returned. It's been three weeks since she disappeared and I am still coming to grips with it. We've posted fliers, internet ads, newspaper ads, knocked door to door and no luck. I am asking for prayers that she may one day return...

6 months later....

I'm always so impressed at my friend Kelly....who updates her blog almost daily. I check it on my phone at least once a day so I can keep up with her son Harrison and his adventures. There are a couple more I check, but mainly facebook - diligently. Well, even though I check everyone else's I've been very remiss in updating mine...and realized it was real bad a couple of weeks (or was it months...) ago while visiting Kelly. She was checking the blogs she always checks and we were talking and she let the cat out of the bag that mine was not one of them....b/c nothing ever changed! Well, I think it kinda hurt, maybe because I always check hers....but honestly I can't blame her since it's been almost 6 months since I last updated. So to my dear Kelly....I'm going to try harder (maybe not every day, but hopefully once a month....I say that and we are getting ready to move next week and maybe have no internet ;) )!

Rose is now almost 16 months old....and I guess here are some pictures that are owed to catch up.... There are some snow pictures, some pictures with Harrison, and more...

Daddy and Me on Valentine's Day

Grandaddy's Christmas present and me...

Playing with Clay

Harrison and I and our mess...

Kisses for Aunt K

Nice goat...at the Atlanta Zoo

Snow day..or what was left of it...

Rose picking out her room.....

She's walking and kinda talking and we are loving every minute! We took swim lessons at the Y this spring and she is really loving being able to be outdoors now.

Bodie is still on the grounds crew up at EKU, however we are hoping that he will get promoted to the sports crew soon....

I'm doing well with Farm Bureau...there are good days and bad...like any job I guess. And it is definately different working for someone besides your Dad!

Catch-up Time!

I feel like I'm always playing catch-up trying to keep this thing updated, but I guess that is the way it goes.

Well, we've gone whitewater rafting and had a blast! Bodie and I both did really good away from Rose for the weekend. That week my cousin, Micah, came in from NC. We just spent time lounging around that week - it was really nice. Once she went home, Bodie, Rose and I headed down to NC to go visit family and watch my cousin Orry play soccer for NC state. I could go on and on about what we did in Oct - NC, Atlanta to visit my sister and help her pick out a condo to buy, P&C school, L&H school, and anywhere else we could. It was the strangest feeling to be off for every weekend in Oct. for almost the first time in my life. We packed everything we could in!

Rise started getting her first 2 teeth in Oct. It really wasn't that bad - her sleep schedule has been messed up for awhile. We just keeping trying to stay with a routine. She also got this awful virus in Oct. and was puking for a week - it was the scairiest thing I have encountered since her birth.

Nov. 1st I signed my contract with Kentucky Farm Bureau and started my career as an insurance agent. So far so good - I really think that I'm going to love what I do! Mainly because I'm going to be helping people and helping to educate them. Since I started I've been in Lousville for a week and am now in Jackson, MS for a week to attend training to learn more about our insurance products. It's been really interesting and I'm enjoying learning everything I can.

Bodie has applied for a promotion at EKU - we are assured it is his but any prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Thanksgiving holidays were wonderful! We hustled back and forth between Richmond and Owenton and love getting to everyone! That Friday Mom, Kris and I headed out into the shopping nightmare - but we had such a wonderful time! That night Bodie called me and told me Rose had started crawling! I had waited all of this time and missed it (she'd probably been crawling at daycare for days, but that didn't matter) I started crying there in the middle of Lerner's. I didn't even get to see her that night b/c she was asleep by the time I got home. My birthday was that sat., 26, and it was great! I got to see Rose crawl- ok, it's a belly crawl but she's mobile!

While I've been away at training Bodie has taken care of Rose-he's been like super dad! Everybody compliments him so much when I get home, it makes me so proud.

The christmas parade is this friday and I am so excited to hopefully be home for it! My plane is supposed to get in at 5:20 on Friday and the parade starts at 7 so hopefully I will be able to make it! It'll be Rose's first parade and Kaylee, Brandon, JC and Cyndi are supposed to be coming down-say a little prayer for my plane so I make it!

I've got more to tell but I've been zoning out in class for over an hour now so I will try to update more later.

So much to do!

Soooo much has been going on over the past month (I know, I'm a bad blogger!). Bodie and I went Whitewater rafting on the Gauley with Maureen and Kevin the last weekend in September, my cousin Micah came to KY for a visit, I've been taking insurance classes, then Bodie, Rose and I went to Raleigh, NC to see my family there, then homecoming for EKU, and then I just passed my license tests!!! Busy, busy, busy I tell you! Here are a couple of pics to keep you up to date!

Ok maybe I will have to post them later! I promise!