Christmas Fun!

I think that I mentioned in the previous post, but Santa sure spoiled the Richeys this year.  He spoiled Drew, he spoiled me, and he sure spoiled Miss Callie.  I really think that its funny that a little unborn Princess can receive so many gifts.  I guess that just goes to show that everybody is already as crazy about her as we are.

She got these Christmas outfits a month or so ago from her Mimi (my mom).  I really think they're quite cute and we have our fingers tightly crossed that they will fit her next year at Christmas.  I love the little dress and can't wait to see her in it with some white tights and black shoes.  I'm not sure if you can tell your not but the trim along the bottom is fur.  I guess you're never too young for fur!

Callie also got quite the assortment of bags.  One from her Mimi, one from her Aunt Angela and Uncle Keil, and the last from her Aunt Lora.  I am excited that we will have them and they'll be able to have different uses.  The backpack and the smaller bag in the set seem like they will be great for trips to dinner or quick trips out.  The other two big bags will be awesome when we go on long all day adventures!  They are so cute and I can't wait to put all kinds of fun stuff in them :)

Callie wasn't the only one who got a fun toy for Christmas.  After eyeing Angela's market tote that she got for a wedding present, I finally have one of my own!  I can't think of a more perfect gift that she and my brother could have gotten me and I'm so excited about putting it to use.

Like I said, Santa spoiled us rotten.  We felt very loved and very blessed!

Grown Up Christmas Presents...

Isn't it odd how as you grow up, the things that you want for Christmas change?  I can remember when I was younger all I wanted was toys, just like any kid.  In my teens, it was clothes, CD's, and purses...  Now, I do good to even think of things that I want for Christmas.

At this point in time in my life (being 6 months pregnant), clothes were completely out of the question.  Not only did I not ask for any, but I explicitly told people not to buy them for me.  I did ask for a bottle of perfume for Christmas and a little jewelry, but other than that, not much.  The few things that I asked for might surprise you:

A Kindle, from Amazon.Com.  This one isn't that weird, but let's just say that I'm already addicted to it.  I read yesterday all during my lunch break because it was WAY too cold to go outside!

These rugs are very cool (and kind of pricey, thus them being on my Christmas Wish List).  They are from LL Bean and they are called "Water Hog Rugs".  Apparently they are supposed to be great on hardwood floors and they're supposed to keep dirt from being tracked through the house.  Mom has a huge one in front of her door in from the garage and swears by it.  So I got three :)  I got them in tan...  One is huge (also in front of my garage door), one is small and crescent shaped (in front of my sliding glass doors that Scooter goes in and out), and one has her name on it and her bowls sit on them.  FUN!

 And finally, I got a Bissell Spot Bot!  It is actually the pet version, but I think that it will also be great for the Newborn Babe Version.  Or at least, that's what I'm hoping :)  I think that Drew had a little help on this one, because I had never told him that I wanted one.  I had mentioned, however, to my mom and sister-in-law that it might be pretty cool to have one so I'm not sure which of them spilled the beans...  Thanks!



Anyway, my gifts are perfect!  They are things that I had been wanting but probably would not have spent the money on for myself.  Not too mention, I'm thinking that they'll both help to make my life a little bit simpler...  And really, isn't that what we all want for Christmas?

Cruel & Unusual Punishment...

Well, maybe not really...  Maybe it was just bad planning on my part...

I definitely had my OB appointment yesterday afternoon.  Baby Callie is doing just fine, but honestly, stepping on those scales almost killed me.  I told my doctor that apparently I had eaten WAY too many Christmas cookies...

Uhhh...  I think I should've scheduled the appointment for next Monday and NOT yesterday!

Anyway, have a great Tuesday and surely I'll get a good Christmas update on here soon!

Thankful Thursday - Today I Am Just Thankful...

Christmas time has a tendency to drive me absolutely insane.  It seems like it is so busy and that nobody really gets a chance to enjoy it.  Drew and I have had to merge both of our family's Christmas activities together and it seems like nobody (our parents and even ourselves) is willing to give.  We want to continue doing exactly what we did pre-marriage even though its really not possible.  

All the shopping wears me out.  I feel like half the time I don't even know what to buy people.  This year I think that I've done a good job, but buying for people that you don't really know is hard because you just don't know what to buy and if they'll even like/use what you've bought.

Stress...  Drew and I have stressed completely.  Between Callie and the normal holiday anxiety, it has been kind of tense at our house.  Trying to keep everybody happy.  Trying to not make the in-laws upset about one thing or another.  Trying to be 15 places at once.

But what I need to really try and focus on is how lucky I am.  I have a roof over my head, food on my table, and (multiple) warm coats.  There are so many people in the world who do not have those luxuries.

My post from yesterday had pictures of me reading a Christmas story to about 60 kindergartners.  These children come from one probably the lowest income school in the BG City School System.  They come to the bank once a year and we throw them a Christmas party complete with Christmas stories, snacks, and a visit from Santa Claus including a small gift.  Let me tell you about a couple of the stories that I heard about after they left:

• A set of twin girls.  One of my co-workers saw these two blond headed little girls playing in the street in the cold.  He was driving, stopped and turned his car around, and told his son that they were going to do something for this family for Christmas.  Turns out there is at least one older child (maybe two, I can't remember) and that the children were basically on their own, fending for themselves.  The parents are idiots and not really in the picture.
• A boy who seemed to have some sort of mental disability.  Apparently his great uncle is also his dad.  Yes, you read that right.  A man impregnated his niece and this boy is the result of that act.  Also, this boy lives in a house that is infested with black mold.  The boy is continuously sick and the family is about to be evicted.
• This isn't really a story I heard but something I witnessed, one boy was handed his Christmas present and when they were told that they would open them, he didn't know what to do with it.  He sat and looked at the box.  Turned it from side to side.  His teach finally had to open the end of the box for him so that he could know what to do with it.

Times are hard my friends, but they will never get any easier for these children.  How do children like these step out of this cycle in an attempt to better themselves?  Do they even know that there are things that are better?  Do they think that its attainable?  I don't know.

I just know that they sure made me thankful for the opportunities that I have to take care of my family and in the spirit of Christmas, they made me thankful for the opportunities that I am given that allow me to be charitable.

Wordless Wednesday - The Funny Faces You Make When Reading to Kindergarteners...

Clearly I was quite enthused :)

Tasty Tuesday... Couldn't resist...

Sunday after Drew and I went and attempted to register for Miss Callie, we came home and I cooked dinner.  It was a cold, snowy night so we were in the mood for warm, spicy food!  I made these Sour Cream Enchiladas that I found a year or so ago on AllRecipes.com.  They are absolutely fabulous and one of mine and Drew's favorite dinners.  Apparently, Drew was a picky eater when he was a child so its probably a surprise that he would eat something like this but between the two of us we definitely made a dent in the pan!  It is nice though because there are definitely enough left overs for dinner at least one more night!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 bunch cilantro
1 cup sour cream
2 (7 ounce) cans jalapeno salsa
2 (7 ounce) cans prepared green chile salsa
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
1 onion
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

To Make Sour Cream Mixture: In a blender or food processor, puree cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno salsa and 1/2 can of the green chile salsa. Set aside.

To Make Chicken Mixture: In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, onion and the remaining 1 1/2 cans of green chile salsa. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat tortillas in conventional or microwave oven until soft. Pour enough of the sour cream mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish to coat the bottom. Place 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour remaining sour cream mixture over all and top with shredded cheese.

Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, or until dish is heated through and bubbling.

Also, I have had this Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker for a year and had not used it until a couple of weekends ago.  I finally made a pan of brownies in it and now I'm hooked!  I cooked my enchiladas in it last night and was absolutely amazed at how easily it cleaned up.  I just scraped some of the stuff off with the scraper and then wiped it clean with a dish rag.  Wow, it was easy!

Anyway, I hope y'all are having a great Tuesday!

A Snowy Weekend Wrap-Up!

Good Morning! 

Do you all have snow there like we do here in BG?  It is a mess!  The county schools are all closed and WKU was even on a half day delay for finals.  The biggest event for this weekend was driving to Murray KY to watch my brother graduate with a degree from Murray State.  I am so proud of him!  He joined the Navy right after high school and since he has been out of the service, he has come home and worked full time and went to school full time in order to get his degree.  I know that he will be very glad that it is over!

Sunday, Drew and I tackled the crazy task of starting our gift registries.  Well, actually I had already started them on line but we went to two stores and went crazy with the little scanner thing.  Registering is so hard.  Being a first time mom who really doesn't have much experience with babies, I am clueless!  I know that I have a lot to learn and am so glad to have "Mommy Blogs" that I follow and have learned from.  We also tried to buy things that were gender neutral and could hopefully be used by Callie's future siblings.  Do you guys have any suggestions?  What items could you not live without when your kiddos were babies?

Somethings we registered for were:

Fisher Price- Laugh & Learn Playcenter (Drew had a hard time deciding on this...  he ended up picking two that he liked and then I made the decision to go with the farm themed one).

I have seen these Soothing Seahorses on lots of blogs and scanned it the minute I saw it.

My mom and I made a trip to "Babys R Us" a few weeks ago and the girl that we talked to told us that this Chicco Travel System is absolutely the way to go.  Since then, I have been stalking moms in department stores with this and asking their thoughts.  Everybody really seems to approve!

A Tummy Time Mat.  This is the Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym.

So what do y'all think?  Are these good things to register for?  Obviously, these are just some of the high points but please, let me know what you really liked.  Also, I was so glad that Drew and I had our iPhones.  We were looking up the items as we went along seeing which ones did or didn't have good ratings.  That was such a great resource for us!



Ugh...

Well friends, I did it again...  I disappeared off the face of the Earth.

So sorry...  Being pregnant has made me more susceptible to colds and allergy crap that I have ever been and its really wiping me out.  I haven't been productive in the evenings at all.  Hopefully it will get better and I'll be able to update you on what's going on in BG...

Funny story though:

Drew went to the Titans vs Colts game last night in Nashville with some people that he works with and they put him up in a really nice hotel.  I texted him at 10 and said I was going to bed (basically so he didn't call and wake me up).  At 1AM my phone rings and its my husband telling me that there's somebody there that he wants me to talk to.  WHAT?!?!?!  So I am telling him no, no, no when this other voice (that I don't know) comes on the phone and talks to me.  He says "tell me which of these songs that you like better "Good Morning Beautiful" or "I Got a Brand New Girlfriend" and I told him to pick.  This person proceeds to sing the chorus to "Good Morning Beautiful" into the phone to me.  It was AWESOME and I told him it was worth being woke up for!  Drew gets the phone back and says "Kelsey!  I'm hanging out with Steve Holy!" who is the singer who sings both of those songs on the radio...  CRAZY.  I guess it just goes to show that you never know who you'll see in Nashville.

Oh, and for a little Christmas cheer for you all!

Nursery Theme

Well, Miss Callie now has baby bedding.  Or at least, it has been ordered.

It is definitely more pink than I had originally planned but I do really like it.  I wanted something with farm animals, more specifically, I wanted something with horses.  This was the best that I could find that wasn't too boyish.

Anyway, I really like it...  Drew really likes it...  My mom and sister-in-law really like it...  So, I can't wait to see it when UPS brings it to my house!  Hopefully it won't be long :)

Christmas Decorations

Well, I broke down last night and put up my Christmas tree.  It has made our house seem so homey and we have really enjoyed putting it up.  Drew and I always work on it together so that makes for a fun activity for the two of us as well.

This year, I decorated our mantle.  The three stockings are for Drew, Scooter, & Me.  Next year, we will have to get another stocking to hang for Miss Callie.  It will be fun to celebrate Christmas and include her in all the festivities next year!



Finally, this wreath is on the door.  Its not like anybody ever drives by our house (we live at the end of a dead end road in the middle of no where, so there is never any traffic going past our house).  I also bought two little light up Christmas trees that will also go on our porch.  I wasn't able to get them plugged in tonight, because our extension cords are all in our detached garage and it was POURING down rain. 

Anyway, I hope that you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving today!  I am working tomorrow and then heading to WKY for a weekend with my family.  We didn't get to see them today, so I'm looking forward to spending as much time with them as possible this weekend.

Truthful Tuesday...

Good Afternoon Friends :)

• I may have driven through WKU's campus today looking at all the cute college students getting ready to go home for Thanksgiving and gotten really jealous.  I may also really be wishing that I could not be working today...  For that matter, I may be wishing that I was off the rest of the week.
•  I may have driven through a car lot on my way back from lunch today.  Not that I'm going to buy anything, but just because.  I may have looked at one of these:

or maybe even one of these:

• I may be wearing a maternity dress today.  It may be the coolest thing ever because I am soooo comfortable.  I may also have developed a "Baby Bump" in a weekend.  It is crazy, I've got to get pictures, I swear its like this thing just implanted itself to my belly in my sleep!
• I may have completely finished my Christmas shopping in one weekend.  Yeah, I may be that awesome...
• Drew and I may have paid people to cut down 45 trees in my yard in the past two days.  I may be shocked that there are still trees and may be wondering just exactly how there were that many trees there in the first place.  I mean, it was probably only on an acre and a half...
• I may have been fighting the urge for the past five days to put up my Christmas tree.  I may stop fighting it tomorrow night...  When that happens, I may post pictures :)

Happy Tuesday friends!  At least its a short week!

What's In A Name???

Many of you have asked what Baby Girl Richey's name is going to be.  Last week, I mentioned that she was going to have a special name that she will share with somebody who is very special.  This special person shared her name with her grandmother.

This person is my Nanna.  She lived pretty much next door to me until I was about 16 and was always the person that I went to when I needed advice.  She has always made me feel like I was the most special person in the world and she has always been one of the most special people in my world.

Her name is Callie Elizabeth Bales.  Baby Richey's name is Callie Isabella Richey!  We love it and we know that we will have a beautiful baby girl with a wonderful, meaningful name!

The problem is, this is what her room looks like.  YIKES...  Looks like her mommy and daddy had better get on the stick, huh?  First of all, it will not stay green.  Second of all, its completely full of stuff!  This is the current "we don't know what to do with it, so we're just putting it in that room" room.  O-M-G..  Nothing like a little stress.

A good thing though, is that she's accumulating quite the wardrobe...  Including this cute little outfit that was given to her by my mom on the day that we found out that our Peanut was really Callie!

Five Question Friday!

Hello Friends (and Friday!)

I thought that I would like up to Mama M's Five Question Friday today!  If you have time today, be sure to answer the questions and link up to her page too!

1. What Christmas song do you loathe?
I don't think that I really loathe any Christmas song, but I don't enjoy hearing them very early.  For example, hearing Christmas songs right now...  GETS ON MY NERVES...  I strongly feel like we should celebrate one holiday at a time and since its not even Thanksgiving yet, we should focus on that!


2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed?
We cuddle at first but then we usually retire to our opposite sides of the bed.  I do cuddle and snuggle with Scooter though, because she usually insists on sleeping against my stomach or between my legs.  She is odd :)

3. Have you ever had surgery?
Sort of, I guess, but not anything normal or exciting.  I actually lost part of my finger as a child in an accident and it had to be fixed.  Ok, that sounds weird.  Here's the truth...  When I was four, 1/3 of my middle finger was bit off by a horse.  Seriously, this crap can't be made up.  Oh, and it was on Thanksgiving Day...

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done?
Usually by the middle of December.  I have started a little and Mom and I are going this weekend, but I've had other things on my mind :)

5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be?
I would have a really good show horse with a really good trainer!  You guys are surprised right?  Horses are pretty much my go to wish!

I hope that you guys have a great weekend!  I know that I sure am glad this week is over, it definitely has not been one to write home about...

Oh, and for those who have asked, Baby Girl Richey does have a name!  She even has her first monogrammed item coming in the mail and I will put together a post about it as soon as possible because her name is very special.  She shares her name with one of my favorite people in the world!

Stylish Blogger Award!

My friend Kara, at The Pickerill Life, has given me an award! Now, I must say that I feel completely undeserving, seeing as I have been a horrible blogger and blog friend lately. For that I apologize, but do promise to do better in the upcoming future!

Anyway, Kara is such a sweet heart and I have really enjoyed following the progress of her pregnancy with Miss Emma, because she is a few months ahead of me!

The Rules

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3.Pass it along to seven blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy!

4. Let the recipients know that you've left them an award.

Now...7 lovely things about myself. 

1. I work at a bank and really like it most of the time.  I would like to be able to work part time after I have Baby Girl Richey, but I'm pretty sure that won't be a possibility with my job which is a bummer.
2. I am a bad blogger.  Usually its because I don't have anything to write about, but lately its been because I haven't had time.  I have lots of things to write about and even have cool pictures to share (like from our trip to San Diego) I just haven't done it!
3. Drew and I really love our new house.  We are finally feeling comfortable in it and we have enjoyed decorating it over the last few weeks.  Drew's mom has also done some landscaping for us!  She loves it and since she's retired she can come up and work during the day so she has been given full rein to do whatever she wants!
4. I really thought that I was going to be having a boy.  I was absolutely shocked when the ultrasound showed that she was all girl!
5. I have no idea how I want her nursery to be.  NO IDEA...  I'm completely at a loss.
6. I have finally started wearing maternity pants.  I just decided that being comfortable was much more important than wearing my old jeans.  COMFORT IS KEY!
7. I have enjoyed going back to the gym, even though I was pretty sure that spin class was going to kill me last night.  I really didn't want to go but I knew that I'd be glad I did...  I was...  so I'll go again tonight!

And now...  7 other lovely ladies for you to check out!

1. Jenna @ Jenna's Jargon: http://lifeonthecircletranch.blogspot.com/
2. Mayra "Bananas" @ Life is Bananas: http://littlemayra.blogspot.com/
3. Erin @ Howell Happenings: http://kentuckynewlyweds.blogspot.com/
4. Paige @ Mommy to Charli: http://mommy2charli.blogspot.com/
5. Brittany @ Treasuring the Little Things: http://blakeandbritt.blogspot.com/
6. Jen @ Walking By Faith: http://jenburchell.blogspot.com/
7. Julie @ and I Thought I Loved You Then: http://jvanddv.blogspot.com/

Tickled Pink!

Well, my friends, its official!

Baby Richey is a

G I R L !

We are so excited to welcome her into our home in just a few short months!

Pink or Blue??

Good Morning!  Today is an exciting day for the Richeys from BG!

Today is the day that we find out if Peanut is a boy or a girl...

So what are your thoughts?  Will we be decorating a little boy or little girl nursery??

Got This E-mail Today and It's Too Funny To Not Share...

E-N-J-O-Y!

Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel very well waking up on that morning.. I went downstairs for breakfast hoping my wife would be pleasant and say, 'Happy Birthday!', and possibly have a small present for me.

As it turned out, she barely said good morning, let alone 'Happy Birthday.'

I thought.... Well, that's marriage for you, but the kids.... They will remember. My kids came bounding down stairs to breakfast and didn't say a word..

So when I left for the office, I felt pretty low and somewhat despondent.

As I walked into my office, my secretary Jane said, 'Good Morning Boss, and by the way Happy Birthday!'

It felt a little better that at least someone had remembered. I worked until one o'clock , when Jane knocked on my door and said, 'You know, It's such a beautiful day outside, and it is your Birthday, what do you say we go out to lunch, just you and me..'

I said, 'Thanks, Jane, that's the greatest thing I've heard all day. Let's go !'

We went to lunch. But we didn't go where we normally would go. She chose instead at a quiet bistro with a private table. We had two martinis each and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.

On the way back to the office, Jane said, 'You know, It's such a beautiful day... We don't need to go straight back to the office, Do We ?'

I responded, 'I guess not. What do you have in mind ?'

She said, 'Let's drop by my apartment, it's just around the corner..'

After arriving at her apartment, Jane turned to me and said,' Boss, if you don't mind, I'm going to step into the bedroom for just a moment. I'll be right back.'

'Ok.' I nervously replied.

She went into the bedroom and, after a couple of minutes, she came out carrying a huge birthday cake ... followed by my wife, my kids, and dozens of my friends and co-workers, all singing 'Happy Birthday'.

And I just sat there....

On the couch.....

Naked.

And The October Wedding Season Continues..

This weekend my best friend from work, Kellen, got married.  It was a beautiful wedding and one that I had really looked forward to  For the past few months, Kellen and I have talked over wedding details and she's told me about some of her different ideas so I was pretty sure that it was going to be a gorgeous wedding, but I was blown away by how nice it really was.

Kellen is from Southern Illinois and unbeknownst to me, there are many wineries and vineyards that are within an hour or so of her house.  The one where she chose to get married was called the Von Jakob Winery and it bordered the Shawnee National Forest.  It was truly a beautiful scene for a wedding.

Kellen has a great sense of style and I always wonder how she can be dressed so perfectly all the time.  I have never seen her have a day where she looks "rough" (I have days like this pretty much every day).  Her wedding dress and hair were gorgeous and all her attendants looked great too.

Needless to say, Drew and I had a great time at the wedding and we were so excited to be able to take a road trip through the country.  Best wishes to the Laceys.  They are on their honeymoon right now and I'm very jealous, they're in St Lucia!  How awesome!

KB & Baby - Week 14

Hey Guys,

Just a short post for now :)  I have been sick this week and Drew and I were out of town last weekend so that's why I'm a little behind!  Hopefully I'll catch up soon!

Pregnancy Highlights:


How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Size of baby: Peanut is the size of a lemon

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 6 lbs (according to my Dr last Thursday)

Maternity Clothes: Not yet...  My shirts are still fine but I'm wearing the maternity bands across the tops of my jeans!  It is nice to be able to still wear them!

Gender: We have no clue!  We'll be finding out the end of November and we're so excited to know!
Movement: none, yet...

Sleep: I finally feel like maybe I'm catching up on my sleep...  Which is fabulous!
What I miss: oh gosh, this sounds bad...  I'd love a glass of wine or a margarita...
Cravings: everything :)

Symptoms: Honestly, besides my cold, I have been feeling really good!
Best Moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at the Dr, it definitely made it feel more real
 
Anyway, sorry that this is so short!  I'll try and get more put more together for you this evening or tomorrow.  We had a great weekend and we're looking forward to some the next weeks being fun also!  I can't wait to share everything we've been up to!

Show Us Your Life - Kitchens

Good Morning!  This week's Show Us Your Life topic at Kellys Korner is kitchens so I thought that I would participate! 

I have also started with a picture of our dining room since I was not able to get them up for last week.  We don't really ever use our dining room because our house has an eat in kitchen and we always eat there.  It is nice though, to be able to have the China cabinet for space and the really big window for all the natural light.  This room also has really tall ceilings (I tell everybody 15 feet, but that's just an estimate) that make it a neat edition to the house.  The color is actually the same as it was because the paint looks really nice and we really like the color.  Because of that, and the tall ceilings, I doubt we'll be painting it anytime soon!

Ok, on to the kitchen.  Our kitchen is really open (which I love) and you can even see into the living room from the sink.  We had friends over this week to watch baseball and it was so nice because I was able to be in the kitchen preparing food and still talk and socialize with the guests.

We had to replace all the appliances when we moved because the people that lived here previously took theirs.  We replaced the fridge and stove with Samsung and the dishwasher is Whirlpool.  We are really pleased with the appliances and love the way that they look in the kitchen.

This kitchen also has TONS of cabinets.  My kitchen at my old house was not small, but every cabinet was full to the brim.  There is also lots of counter space which is nice for canisters, appliances, and food prep.

As I mentioned earlier, the kitchen has an eat in area where we eat most of our meals.  We bought this table and chairs when we moved and have really liked them.  The set included a removable leaf and two extra chairs but we keep it down to four because that's what we would mostly use.  There are also sliding doors out to the covered porch and back yard.

Haha!  I'm not sure why I included this picture, but the pantry is probably one of my favorite parts of the house!  We used to have to keep our food in our cabinets and it took up so much room!  This pantry is great even though now I tend to buy lots more food (notice the three jars of spaghetti sauce, LOL)!  Sorry that it is such a mess, its just nice to be able to shut the door and not have to worry about it!

Anyway, thank you guys for checking out our kitchen!  We really love it and love our new house.  I can't wait to see your houses also :)

Shootin Skeet!

For his birthday this year, my dad wanted a Clay Pigeon Thrower (I'm sure there's a technical term for this thing, but I don't know what it is.)  Since he never says anything he wants, Mom immediately made the purchase.

 

Sunday was the first day that it had been out of the box, even though Dad's birthday is New Years Eve.  OOPS...  Oh well, what better way to blow off some steam than shoot little orange disks.

Dad and Drew had two guns that they were shooting.  A 12 gauge shotgun and a 20 gauge shotgun.  Dad bought the 12 gauge this summer but he has owned the other since he was 12.  My dad does not hunt or anything, so it was interesting that he was actually a really good shot!  I was impressed.  Drew loves to hunt (deer, doves, turkeys, etc) and was also a pretty good shot.

Me, I'm just good at loading the disks.  No shooting guns for me...  This time.  Something tells me that they will have me shooting the next time they get out their toy.

One of the funniest parts of this activity was the horses.  Mom and I were convinced that the horses would be really scared and that they'd probably run to the farthest corner of the pasture.  NOT SO MUCH..  They started coming towards where Dad and Drew were shooting.  I had to run and lock them back around the pond so that they would not come to close.  What a bunch of idiots!

I definitely think that Dad's toy was a success.  He and Drew went through two boxes of shotgun shells and he had the biggest grin on his face when they were  finished.  Something tells me that it won't be another nine months before they play with it again!



Wordless Wednesday... The Benefits of Country Living...

Happy Hump-Day Friends!!  We're on the downhill slide :)

ETA:  Who knew that you could mis-spell something in a post that was supposed to be "wordless"??

Silly pictures from the wedding...

I was lucky to be born into a big family.  My dad has four brothers and sisters and from those children, there are 7 grandchildren.  It has always made for lots of fun at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other family functions.  Weddings are no different.

Erin, Jennifer, and I decided during the reception that we wanted to have a photo shoot at the alter.  We took flowers out of the decorations and used them as props.  Please enjoy...  and yes, we know...  we are dorks :)

And finally, Angela's car.  Keil's groomsmen definitely had a good time adding some very tasteful (ummm...) decorations.