A little bit of Nesting Syndrome...Or Insanity?

O.K., Who's been near my coffee?! Here it is, 5:15 AM and this already has taken place:

• I got dressed
• Washed my face/brushed my teeth
• Cooked Joe's breakfast
• Packed his lunch for work
• Started a load of laundry
• Swept the living room 
• Swept my laundry area
• Fed/let out June Bug
• Made coffee
• Washed all the dirty dishes(which weren't many, I did most all of them last night)

So I'm thinking, *WHAT?!*.

This morning I have all kinds of energy! Where did it come from? Certainly not from sleeping soundly( who knew sleeping only on your side for months could be so uncomfortable?). The weird part is, not only do I have the energy but I also have motivation. While I was washing dishes, I noticed little cobwebs under my cabinets and said to myself "They're going down!". 

     Also, I would like to say, while trying not to jump on a soap box here, that while I was browsing Google Images for the picture above, I came across this one.

This makes me angry. I wonder if it sprang from Women's Liberation? It is insulting to the very thing women are commanded to do in the Bible "...that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers..." Titus 2:4-5 I'm not saying that every woman has to be a Dona Reed, nor do I think that is what is being implied here. I do believe, however, that the woman in the household sets the tone. Even women who have successful careers decorate their "havens", and usually still throw the laundry in the machines. But what made me so mad, is that even if the wife doesn't do the cleaning, some how, some where down the line somebody does. Whether it's the husband, older children, or hired cleaning service, someone does the job. This statement to me was insulting to all those who clean. So, the maid service is made up of a bunch of wasted lives? Really? So, if you are a young mother of little children and are over whelmed so you hire them-do you think their lives are wasted when they leave your house sparkling? Or if you have a career? Are they beneath you because you file paper work, or care for patients? They make lives better too, do they not? Even if it is with elbow grease and a mop, I believe their job is just as important as the next, and fulfilling, too. I bet most of them enjoy cleaning. I know I do. Mainly because it is something I can do and see immediate results, and have peace of mind when it is done. I find it more difficult to enjoy quiet time when I'm up to my ears in clutter and filth. Not to mention the fact that germs collect in homes, and someone has to remove/kill them once in a while right? Anyway, so much for not getting on that box.

Well, I hope you have a good day, and be careful, who knows what could be in your coffee lol. 

Tid~Bits

Darling felt the baby kick for the first time today!!!! It was soo cute, he couldn't help but laugh. I had been trying to get him to feel it for at least a week now, but no joke, every time he would put his hand on my belly the little bugger would stop kicking!!!! The baby kicks a lot now, a sometimes he really packs a punch!
     We've pretty much settled on Jackson Roy. It would have to be a really good name in order for us to change it. Good thing too, because I'm told all the Aunts and Uncles are already calling him Jackson lol! (Me too guys!)
     Today I've got warm apple pie candles lit throughout the house (my favorite!) I actually burn candles often and will probably get a few replacements soon! There is just something welcoming, homey and cozy about flickering candles. I also made chicken Alfredo pizza for the first time. I got a picture but not enough battery to load it, so I will do a separate pizza post later. I actually am pleased with how it turned out, it's colorful, has a crispy crust and oh so yummy! I also recently made banana bread. The recipe I use is one I got for my birthday seven years ago. It doesn't call for any oil, which several recipes require a considerable amount. Those of you who purchase it know that olive oil isn't cheap!

     On the subject of curtains.....
Do any of you have patterns that you like to make them with? Or do you just "wing it"? I would love to put curtains up in the house but they are so expensive! I know I could make them cheaper myself and I can pick out the colors and patterns I like, but have never made them. I helped my grandmother "Germa" alter some for my Mom's house years ago but can't remember exactly what we did lol.

Also, a new blog I found via clicking on this and that and there I was: Anna Saccone She is IRISH and her accent is sooooo adorable! As far as I can tell, her (and her husband Jonathan a.k.a. Jofus) are honest, real, and clean in their videos. They are also on You Tube and Anna's You Tube user name is TheStyleDiet. They just had a baby girl, Amelia late last Summer. Anna did updates called pregnancy vlogs (short for video blogs?) and also post baby. I just love the way that she shares what she knows without at all coming across as a know it all, in fact she even asks for advise and opinions. When they say Ireland it sounds like Areland lol. I'm not making fun, I just love they way they talk, they are so cute! (Must be the Irish in me). You will want to check them out!
That's what's on my mind today, hope yours went well!
~Danni

What's up?

Hello everyone! So, I'm sure some of you are wondering "what's up?" since I haven't posted in a while. Well, here's a look at what's new:

• I got done my job at the convenience store, so now I'm full time homemaker
• I bought some blue, multicolored yarn to start making 'Jackson' a little blanket
• Getting caught up on laundry
• Making a list in my head of the projects I want to get done before baby comes
• Picking raspberries and freezing until I get enough to make a large batch of jam
• Going through clothes and getting rid of what's ruined and what I'll never wear (even if it did fit right now lol)
• Drinking tea in the evenings with my hubby
• Planning a cleaning schedule, menus, laundry days, grocery/errand days, etc.

Lately I have been eating basically the same thing for breakfast and lunch, it is just soooo good!: 

    Breakfast- I usually have a bowl of cream of wheat with blueberries and cinnamon sprinkled on top(no sugar), a toasted English muffin, a yogurt cup and 1-2 cups of coffee.

Lunch- I have been chopping and cooking a skinless chicken breast in olive oil to go in my salad which is made with: Romaine lettuce, spinach leaves, red onion, tomato, green pepper, diced sharp cheddar and light or fat free Italian dressing. I mean AWESOME!!!! I love this salad! I usually have it with water, juice or iced tea.

Supper-  This generally varies from roast to fettuccine alfredo, some times tacos, home made pizza, soups, left overs, steak, and so on. Pretty much anything goes. 

Snacks- An apple with peanut butter, a "string cheese" with yogurt, strawberries, a banana, a cup of dry cheerios, toast with peanut butter, or home-popped popcorn.

Trying to eat better for me and baby, and help keep my energy level up. 

     I had to chuckle to myself the other day at work...

Customer: "How are you feeling?"

Me: "Pretty good, thanks."

Why is it that people always ask pregnant women how they are feeling? I say I feel good, and while I do for the most part, this picture can't help but pop into my head...

 

(Photo courtesy of Google Images)

Yup. Some days I just feel like a little fat seal. Tying my shoes already cuts my wind off lol!

I hope to put more pictures up here when I get some more batteries (what ever happened to rechargeable cameras anyways???)  That's all for now folks, until next time! Thanks for stopping by!

~Danielle

Drum roll please....

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!! We're going to have a little boy! Current name we are contemplating:
~Jackson Roy Osgood. I can't wait to get started on the nursery, so many ideas! That's all for now, it's going to be a crazy day today. I hope to post pictures some time soon if we get the scanner working and I get some time to do it lol.

Baby Update!

It's been a while since I posted about our Little Love, so I thought I'd do an update post.
     
This is my 18 week baby bump photo shot.

 We had a bbq at the farm for the 4th of July. Grammie and Gramps brought a beautiful rocking chair for me. My Uncle Don gave them the chair, and Gramps replaced the broken wicker bottom with wood, then Grammie refinished it in a beautiful stain and got a pretty cushion for it. I absolutely LOVE IT! This will be a treasure ALWAYS. Sentimental things like this touch my heart.

Also, I can feel little kicks! They feel like pokes. I notice them most while I'm lying in bed or sitting down, they are so cute!

I had recorded our baby's heartbeat on my phone, and to post it here, I recorded the sound with the camera and made a "video". Click to hear!!!

The next ultrasound is next Monday, we can't wait! We are also hoping to find out the sex of the baby during the ultrasound! More update to follow the appointment!

Dumplings

Yesterday was a busy one. Darlin cleared brush and set up a fence for the pigs out in the woods. He kept at it and it still took him until almost dark to finish. It looks good though. This morning he put a few pigs out there to see how they'd do. It's electric to discourage them from going through it.
  I spent my day in the house catching up on dishes and laundry. Dusting, folding laundry, sweeping, folding laundry, cooking, folding laundry, de-cluttering, folding laundry, reorganizing, etc. But this morning when I got up it was totally worth it! I could get to the coffee pot with out shuffling through dirty dishes, the bathroom was clean and tidy, the house (what I cleaned of it yesterday) looks nice and welcoming and I feel relaxed. I still have some laundry to wash, dry, fold and put away (imagine that!) but I have a handle on it now. I also cleaned up the basement, swept the steps and floor, wiped down the washer and dryer and washed the table. I have a small table next to the dryer that I keep clear just for folding laundry. I have found that if I fold it right when it comes out of the dryer (or shortly after) it doesn't end up in piles upstairs do fold "later". So if there is clean laundry down stairs, I fold it and take it up with me and put it away right then. It makes it so much easier.

 For supper: Beef soup and dumplings. I made a soup out of leftover roast, and it was my first time making dumplings. They are yummy! I don't remember ever having them but they are so good!
 You drop the biscuit dough on top of the soup/stew when it is simmering, then cover it for 15-20min. They cook up nice and fluffy inside *Mmmm!* And not all mushy and doughy. You want to make sure you have plenty of liquid in your soup though. I should have had a little more in mine, the soup turned into a stew and some of it stuck to the bottom of the pot. I think I'll use a heavier one next time too.

 Have a wonderful day!!

Pea Trellis

Darlin made a pea trellis the other day for our growing peas.

 He had a large ball of twine and placed it in a small plastic bucket that had a handle. Then he put his belt through the handle before buckling it. Next he took the end of the twine and threaded it through a 18in long by 1/2 piece of PVC pipe, and tied the end off to the first stake. Then he walked back and forth between the rows, wrapping it around each stake he came to.

 Pea blossoms

 Hilled potatoes

 Rows of peas

Farm shopping list

Thought it might be nice to share what a typical "farm shopping list" looks like for us:

• Mineral block for the cows
• shavings for the chicken coop
• pig feed
• layer pellets
• broiler feed mix
• diesel fuel for tractor
• various hardware
• canning lids and bands
• tomato plants

This is today's list, usually it's basically the same (except tomato plants).

Got goats??

It has been almost a year since I've had a goat around here. I could not believe how hard it was to find one in Uncle Henry's, Craig's list or at an auction (besides, if you are looking for a decent milk goat, auction goats are somewhat questionable). I didn't find one I liked in any of those places. So, I took a chance and called up the folks where I got my very first goat, and asked if they had any milkers for sale. They called me back-Yes, they did have some!!!!!!! Yay! Here is Ivy, and her doeling... Ivy is a first year freshener, currently giving about 1/2 gallon of pure, healthy milk a day. I will be bringing her home soon.

~A farmer's wife needn't concern herself with being a big bread winner in today's society; she simply makes her own.~

This is AMAZING!

This family lives in urban California. Their electric bill is $12.00/month! They sell surplus from their front door to chefs, as well as deliver. Grant it, they live in the city, but they only use about 25 gallons of bio diesel/month!-that they make themselves! (out here in the sticks, we live 30-35 miles form the nearest "big town") This is a must-watch! It puts my "needs" in proper perspective, how about you?

Get Together

The siblings came for an overnight visit Thursday!!

  June Bug (Photo courtesy of the Vet's handiwork)

 Perky pepper plants

  Playdough time

The next day...

 Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast!

        Mmmm, coffee!

 Helping out

Weed whacking

 Hilled potatoes

 Working on the new egg mobile...

 Lunch time! Home made pizza sticks dipped in pizza sauce

 A serious game of Go Fish!

 Or, not so serious

 Egg mobile progress

Portrait of Lady Bug by request, Cute!

 Ta-da! Darling finished it yesterday. The girls look very happy!

 Our meat birds came when the siblings were here, so glad they got to see them! This is what 72 birds look like...!!!!!

 Awwwah