Its Thursday...

Just in case you didn't already know that. I just wanted to blog real quick and let you all know a super busy weekend is ahead of me. I (hopefully) plan on taking pictures for you and blogging about it sometime early next week.

Between shopping day, extra grocery shopping... (time to stock up and freezer cook for after baby AHHHHHH) bulk freezer cooking, buying last minute dresses, strapless bras and such for Hannahs Honor Star crowning this Sunday, buying last minute baby items, organizing the house, finding shoes for my older girls (since they outgrew every pair they owned.grrr) and who knows what else I forgot to mention... Needless to say ALOT of shopping will be had this weekend. Its the last payday before Sweet P comes and I want to make sure the house,kids,pantry, myself and hubby have everything we need for a while....

But as usual I will be twittering alot thru the day and night so if you really insist on keeping tabs of me then just subscribe or check my twitter page... ;)

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!!

Xoxo GapGirl

Tuesday Babble...

Last night hubby and I were up late waiting patiently with cell phones in hand. His brother and wife who live in Utah were having their 2nd child... a little girl and we could not wait to get the news. At 11:30 p.m. our time, both cell phones were beeping off the hook. We texted back and forth, forwarded texts to other family members and then checked email for cute pictures of our newest family members.

Needless to say, by the time we settled into bed we both were staring at the ceiling...

My mind began wandering around and somehow settled on purses... my love of all purses. BIG purses and all the junk I carry around in it daily.

Thus, this blog post was born. So, I warn you now, these thoughts are from a 9 month pregnant, sleep deprived, bored gal... but im sure someone in cyberspace will find it interesting.

Since I was a little girl, I was referred to as a bag lady. I LOVED bags and would shove everything I owned into any bag I had. As I got older, I switched to purses. I LOVED purses but as a tween, I never knew what to put in them...

When my nana would come over, I would ask her if I could look thru hers. She always let me. She had big black bags shoved with everything but the fridge. I was in heaven!!! All that stuff that she had to carry was just as beautiful as diamonds in my eyes.

As I became an adult, I noticed I am the same way. Not because I tried to mimic my dear Nana, but just because " i just needed to have this stuff with me just in case..."

My big sister is no different. One time when she was visiting me she had this very cool big "Cindy" bag. It looked like it was made just for her... it screamed her name. We were getting ready to go out. She was freshening up in my bathroom as her hand reached inside her bag... and as if she were Mary Poppins.... out came the BIGGEST can of aerosol hair spray I have ever seen. I LOVED IT!!! Just another confirmation of how much we are alike....

( ok tree huggers, don't bore me with details about the ozone layer due to aerosol spray. I read Revelations and it might surprise you but the world doesn't end due to overuse of hair products... just sayin ;)

Anywho, this leads me to todays pictures... My big black bag... courtesy of my big sis... (hey I've mentioned before I have the best big sister... this picture proves it...LOL)

My Christmas gift from her last year. Its a beauty. Its not one of my biggest bags but it holds alot...I would actually consider this a smaller bag but I just love it

You would be amazed at what I insist on carrying in this bag on a daily basis... I feel naked without it and it will probably be right next to me when I deliver Sweet P. (hey, I never said I didn't have issues.=p)

Last weekend after we went Apple picking, we went to the mall and hubby bought me this cute monogrammed cell phone holder. Im usually against belt, purse clipp-y things since I find them SOOOO unfeminine. In usual Preggo GapGirl style, I slammed my purse on the counter and asked the poor teen sales girl a million questions before I purchased. My cell phone stresses me out to no end... especially when its ringing and im out and about and BUSY. THEN, throw in the fact that I can never find it at the bottom of my big black abyss...not to mention hubby has his own ring... so when that goes off it multiplies the stress.... YIKES... can you say anxiety??? so the young girl convinced me this would solve my problem... and my issue with it looking too man-ly... Its clipped to the inside. I LOVE it. I now know whenever it rings that I can access it quickly... it still needs to be stretched a bit to make it easier to get in and out. (thats a whole other stress factor.LOL) As much as I LOVE modern technology.... I HATE it all just the same...

My lipsticks. I never leave home without every color of lipstick I own. I have doubles. One travels with me and another set stays in my very large leopard make-up bag in my Master bath. I don't know why I feel the need to have them all with me. But I just do... along with a mirror and body spray. The body spray is another must...

My middle compartment (the big gold snap-y thing) contains ... well, right now I can't remember. HA! But I do know it has my pill box... some medications just in case we forgot to take them and we are out, tylenol, advil, tums (hubby gets horrible heartburn sometimes), Zofran (when I was horribly sick from the pregnancy) The snap is hard to open for the littles which is great since my Abby-girl has gotten into my meds before in other purses... THANK GOD I caught her in time. Whew, that was a scary moment...

I also have slippers in my purse??? Yeah, I know. weird. I put them in there when I would teach the 3 year olds at church and my pregnant feet hurt... I would slip my soft black ballet slippers on. Now I won't take them out because they fit nice in there and "well,what if i dooo need them one day and I took them out???"

The slippers are kept company by coupons of all sorts, tissues, cream, an overly stuffed RED shiny wallet (LOVE IT!) sanitizer, gum, pens, scrunchies, hair clips, lists and more lists, an organizer, very large sunglasses, keys and anything else I can fit in for the moment.

Hey, It could be worse... I was at a baby shower a year ago and we had a contest over contents we had in our purses. I didn't win. This other mom who had the most interesting bag, won by a landslide....

4 different compartments, and all JAMMED TO THE BRIM with everything you could imagine and more. The stuff she pulled out amazed ME!!! I was in awe and new she was my kindred spirit. LOL! I was in heaven... another bag lady...

So, enough of my senseless, meaningless, useless babble... I want to know what YOU have in your purse. Really I do!! Is it big? Little?? Do you carry the basics?? Is it neat and tidy?? or jammed and eccentric?? And if you blog about it PLEASE come back and let me know... I will be answering comments too. Im trying to get better at that.

Hope you have a great day!

Xoxo

No Baby But New Scent :)

Im still pregnant!!! 36 weeks and counting. Im still contracting but nothing steady to have me skipping into the hospital and jumping into the labor bed... BUT my hubby made my day as he walked thru the door on his way home from work....

From behind his back he pulled a little blue bag which contained the sweetest smelling gift... WHITE CITRUS body spray from Bath and Body Works.

Before we walked thru the foyer, He sprayed it on me and I was in love. What a great guy he is and what a good mood it put me in. Seriously.... it made the end hours of the day pleasant and not so crazy. (you all know those hours of the day.)

Its the small surprises like that, that really make a day... and make me realize how much I love that man.

Now only if I would have this baby...

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL

Happy Saturday everyone!! And Happy FALL!! Even though the 90 degree weather really makes you second guess whats on the calendar. BUT, the nice meteorologist that I watch every night promised cooler temps tomorrow AND rain. WHOO HOO!!

This week passed, along with all the business that followed and I survived... still pregnant. Although my contractions are increasing and my Dr. said I am 1 cent. Dilated already and 25% effaced. Not bad for only 36 weeks. He also said if I were to go into labor all will be well and they would not try and stop it. PERFECT! Bring it on! Im ready!

In the meantime im still filling my schedule with normal life activities and trying to get this house de-cluttered and clean before my sweet girl arrives. My bedroom has pink clothes and baby things ALL OVER!! I tried to get a handle on it last night while hubby played Xbox. (remember his weekend hobby with my cousin?) I got much accomplished but I still can't find the bottom of her crib. Ha! But im not complaining at all. Seriously! I just am constantly reminded how much God has blessed me these past few months. A trip to wal-mart will be taken this week for bins to neatly pack and label clothing for a few months down the line. But I just L-O-V-E all this pink. Im in heaven.

Anyway enough of my babble, lets get to the cute pictures. My church baby shower was just precious!! I was humbled at the women who gave me such nice, cute gifts and could not thank them enough.

These pictures are just some of the precious little things I received. Can you believe it? The gifts keep pouring in too... from family, neighbors and even the mail lady. Ha! God is so good... really!

Some gifts I can't show you because they are personalized with her name and that is still a surprise... so we shall see after I introduce her to y'all. =) Hopefully via Vlog... just waiting for the laptop.

Hey don't judge me for vlogging in the hospital all you finger pointers... you know you all are glued to your smartphones on Facebook, twitter and all that other stuff that makes communicating a GREAT event like this possible. =) Lets not forget texting and picture messaging via iphones and blackberries so save your hatin for someone else. ;)

Anyway, I must be going. Lots to do and clean and organize. Tonight cousin Neal will be arriving (along with pizza) for a very long intense game of Xbox with the hubby and I will be doing some Beth Moore "Daniel" homework... OH MY is this study G-R-E-A-T. It gets better and better each week. Im blown away. I was telling hubby that EVERY christian woman neeeeeddddddsssss to do this study with the video session. Its life changing and as usual reveals how great our God is!!!

Have a GREAT weekend and God bless...

Xoxo

What Are You Doing Wednesday??

Hello my dear friends. I have no nifty pictures to post today so I hope thats ok?! Its going to have to be. I have NO good pictures in my iphoto and since they are vinyl siding the house next to me, the banging is distracting from any sane thought process I might have.

So I figured I would write you a quick update on today's to do?!

Fill out tons of paperwork for Hannahs Honor Star Crowning and dig up pictures of her for the slide show... ALL due today (because I waited till last minute) oh and by the way... does anyone ever have hard copies of pictures anymore???

School all 3 kids and help study for tests coming up.

Figure out what is for dinner and have it cooked no later than 4 p.m.

Bathe all 3 littles and make them shiny like a new penny for church tonight. Then shower myself!!

Pack up some clothes in the van that I have for a friend at church for tonight.

Finish my last page of my DANIEL bible study homework before tonights new session. I was doing sooo good until I fell asleep earlier than expected the other night. I will keep up and I will not fall behind.

Keep up with the housework and cleaning so that when I do go into labor, my sweet Aunt does not feel obligated to clean for me while im gone!

Be at church NO LATER than 6 p.m for my very own baby shower the church is throwing me. Aren't they soo sweet??!! But this means I CANNOT BE LATE!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy tonights bible study, session 3 of Daniel by Beth Moore. It truly is amazing!!!!

and then somehow stay awake for SURVIVOR... one of hubby and I's fav show!!! Even my older girls are starting to like it. =)))

Do you think I can get it all done?? And squeeze in a nap?? We shall see....

What are your plans for today?

I'm Alive, I'm Alive....

And still pregnant... just really really busy. I was not kidding when I said my calendar is chock-full of activities and appointments. Crazy!

This weekend was no exception. Friday night we had dessert at a friends house and all of our kids had a blast playing while us adults chatted till almost midnight!! It was so much fun to get out and eat and talk. Ha!

Saturday morning we got up bright and early... (not as early as we planned due to a late night before...) and headed to the country to an apple Orchard. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were determined to leave with a carload of juicy delicious apples.

Molly made sure Sweet P got one of her very own... and sweet P LOVED the fresh juicy fruit. We filled our bags, drank cider and then headed to the mall for some shopping and lunch. By the time we pulled in our driveway we were exhausted! But we went right to work baking apple pieS... with a capital S. OOHH they were so good.

This next picture pretty much sums up our weekend evenings. My cousin Neal lives around the corner and often migrates here after dark for some funny conversation, good eats and hang out time. We love cousin Neal and always get excited when he walks thru the door. He had magic card tricks for the kids and entertained them for a bit before bed. Then the gaming began.... all weekend!!! Xbox was brought out, couches were moved and it was on. I quickly retreated to my room and let the boys have fun.... They both stayed up way too late both nights.

Im assuming this weekend will be the same as well as the weekend after that, and after that and after that... you get the picture.... Hubby worked a lot of overtime these past few weeks and will be treating himself to his very own Xbox and some highly wanted games... I expect very busy nights at my house.

This week is busy too. Bible study, church baby shower and drs. Appts are just some of the things on my calendar. Not to mention drama practice for the kids, a full school schedule and whoever may drop in for a visit.

All while having MAJOR braxton hicks all day long. A few times this week I thought we were headed to the hospital as my practice contractions turned into something way more and way different than BH... Time to get my bags packed I guess... Just in case my sweet girl decides to come early... No complaints here as long as she is healthy!

Im off, need to rest and put my feet up before I fall asleep at my desk. Chat soon

XoXo

Monday Happenings...

Doesn't this picture just make you want to curl up by the fireplace with a warm bowl of soup??!!

Even in the south, where I live, we have cold winters and many reasons to turn on our fireplace for a cozy evening. Its not quite as fall-ish as this picture (which I did not take) but its getting there.

The mornings and evenings have changed. Its cool. The air smells like fall is almost here. The evenings consist of cool breezes and my kids riding their bikes in the street... after a l-o-n-g summer of hiding in the air conditioning. During the day its warm... 80's to be exact. I thought this weather would never come.

September is almost half over...almost. My calendar continues to fill up with fun events which makes the days go by even faster. This week alone we have drama practice, Bible study, massive food shopping, apple picking and furniture shopping to do. I keep reminding my husband that.... DUEL RECLINING COUCH... will be the ONLY type of couch I want to look at. I dream of being able to sit on my couch and recline and rest my tired feet... Oh my...

Next week is even crazier and to tell you the truth I need to look at my calendar to even keep track of the daily events. UGH! That type of busyness is not my favorite... But tis the season.

But it does make me savor every second of our down time and my time at night. Hubby spends time doing work on the computer, the kids are upstairs reading/sleeping and I retreat to my bed and crochet... The silence is absolutely golden, I can't describe how golden it is and how much I look forward to those evenings. Pretty soon I will be sharing them with my Sweet P... I can't wait.

DANIEL...

The time finally came to start my Daniel bible study by Beth Moore that I keep on telling you about. I was so excited to walk into the classroom and even more excited to see what a great turnout we had. I didn't expect so many women because they started this class last month for Sunday school and a lot of the women in my church attend that class, but to my surprise even more showed up to go on this great adventure wednesday night.

Most of the study is on dvd which always worries me since my attention span doesn't react well to dvd's but Beth Moore captured my attention even more than the Esther study I did almost a year ago... (WOW its been that long)

The topic is even closer to my heart as well and could not stop shaking my head in agreement thru the ENTIRE video. The women sitting next to me must have thought I had some sort of tick or something. Ha! I scribbled notes, wrote important bible verses and even wrote notes along the margin in my bible. I couldn't get enough of learning about the modern day babylon we are surrounded by and how we as Christians are so indoctrinated by it we can't even see straight.... (sounds familiar right??)

I have been seeing this more and more in the last 3 plus years of my life and even have blogged about this very subject numerous times. See, the more kids you have, the more you get pushed outside the circle (not sure if thats the best analogy) then throw being a Christian and the icing on the cake... Homeschool them...

With all three checks next to our name, I have really gotten a good look at the world (christian and non-christian alike) from the outside looking in. I live differently than most people I am surrounded by and even have very different views on life. I wasn't always like this but as my Christian life grew, my family life grew and my view on how Christ wanted us to live grew... many things changed.

I too am also a victim of wanting everything "Babylon" wanted. Im a girl. I have a natural pull toward shiny, new,bigger,better,clothes,shoes and what have you. But daily, God keeps me in check and thankfully our lifestyle does not warrent such things most of the time.

But I spend many times sitting back and watching... people who fall into the 1.8 kids, McMansions, fancy vacations and the constant fulfilling of "self."

If having many kids taught me anything, it taught me the art of dying to self... a little more with each birth... its amazing that after 11 pregnancies and almost 6 births how much self is still left... OUCH!!!!!

Perhaps thats why children are considered such an option... and after 1 or 2 or... GASP even 3.... they stop.... because with each one dying to self gets higher on the list. There are no negotiations.... its mandatory.

Anyway, am I getting off topic?? I think I am.

I am LOVING this study. I can't wait to do my daily homework and read more about what the bible has to say about this and how I can apply it to my own life.

I can't wait to share with the other ladies in my class

And I can't wait to start indoctrinating the world instead of the world indoctrinating me!

"Houston, We Have A Crib..."

Oh how exciting it was. Yesterday hubby and 3 of the 5 kids assembled sweet P's brandy-spankin new crib. I use portable cribs instead of full size ones simply because of the great size and easy fitting and then when they get too big I just switch them to a toddler bed. I LOVE it so much more than a huge crib (which really is too much space for majority of their crib stay.)

I let my friend borrow my port-a-crib but she used it so much she decided it would be better to replace it instead of returning it the way it was... wasn't that the sweetest?? So her hubby brought over this one which is just perfect in every way!! and much more than I expected.

So, here it is nestled in the corner of my room waiting for a sweet little girl to rest her head in it!! I didn't plan on having the crib this close to me but was not in the mood to rearrange desks, chairs and everything else that seemed to worm its way into our master bedroom!! Yeah, not happy about that. Will have to do some major purging to get the room back to my private sanctuary!!!!!!!

And here we are in all of our glory. My Uncle took this picture when he came down to visit. I don't look too bad for a big swollen preggo lady right? The kids don't look happy though... probably were taken off the trampoline or something. I can't remember.

Well, I must be off, the troops are beyond restless and are downright leading a mutiny in my living room. They must be fed and cleaned and sent off to church resembling some type of decent, disciplined children. ;)

My new ladies bible study begins tonight and I CAN'T WAIT! Im simply too excited for words... I needed a girls only bible study for so long and the time has finally come! I will let you know all about it soon!

My September calendar is super booked... and Im still wondering how the heck that happened?? Im a firm believer in simplicity. Homeschooling 5 kids is crazy enough but some things can't be avoided I guess. I will be sure to be on full alert for October so this doesn't happen again. I look forward to Sweet P's delivery and a nice homeschooling break... then holiday festivities galore... with a new member to make memories with.

My Big Facebook Gripe....

I've come to realize that with Facebook, you either love it or hate it. I happen to love it. Having many out of state family and friends, I have found that social networking is an unbelievable way to stay in touch.

But its also a great way for me to communicate without stopping my day and picking up the phone. With 5 kids, homeschooling and just our daily grind, I just don't have the time to stop and chat about the weather... nor do I want to. At the end of the day im beat, Im exhausted and I am just LOVING the silence that sleeping children bring. I retreat to my bedroom, crochet and catch up on the day with my hubby. Im able to give him my attention without interruptions, screams and cries. The LAST thing I want is a phone with a voice in my ear.

Do I sound mean?? Maybe its the pregnancy. I have noticed a lack of tolerance for anything the closer d-day comes... prayerfully this will pass.

Anyway, Facebook has been great to tell friends I love them, miss them and keep up with them without it disrupting my day/night.

But I have noticed a HUGE drawback... one that has been urking me to the core... (lately it doesn't take much.ooppss.)

Cursing on statuses??? Being mean on Statuses?? and the biggest pet peeve... COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR KIDS on statuses. We all have those days where the kids drive you nuts and thats fine. I too, have a few of those on my own profile page.

Im talking about the handful of women who daily complain about their kids, the messes they have to clean and their job as a wife/mother/homemaker. Its really getting on my nerves. I have a handful of women as my friends on Facebook that are guaranteed to daily complain about everything they have to do with their life. Morning, noon and night.... complain complain complain....

Even my hubby has begun taking notice of the constant whining coming thru on our home page. His commentary on their statuses are quite amusing... and he and I say the same thing.... if you can't handle the responsibility of your kids then maybe you shouldn't have had them. After all, kids make messes, they keep you up at night, you have to cook for them and clean them. Surprise surprise...

I have also learned (the hard way) the responsibility that Facebook brings. Something im currently teaching my daughter, who just recently got a page all of her own.

Sometimes our statuses are the only things people see of our life. The only glimpse they get into our thoughts, philosophies and beliefs... what message are you sending? complaining? or contentment? Faith ? Or constant frustration?

Of course, on days when everything goes wrong, sometimes a funny status is in order. Your friends get a laugh and you get to vent... nothing wrong with transparency...

But all in all, I will still continue to be active on Facebook... ignore the women who can't handle daily life and try... just try to give them grace....

"Labor" Day...

HAPPY LABOR DAY!! This 3 day weekend has been relaxing, busy and fun all at the same time. My cousin came by a couple of times and we got to spend some quality time hanging out, watching movies and EATING!! (my favorite.)

Last night he came over with his rotisserie and he made us thee BEST wings I have ever eaten... covered with Franks honey wing sauce and crisped in the oven... OH MY.... finger lickin good!

I also started painting my foyer the best that I can.... Some spots reach up about 18 ft and are just impossible to get without someone else doing it for me, so Im just painting along. Hubby will bring his ladder in and I will do the top trim all at once sometime this week. If you notice the last picture of my foyer, the wall on the right extends WAY up to the top of the 2nd floor... and even the back wall extends up to the 2nd floor railing... so I will have to be patient until those walls can get done properly... But when they do it will look delicious!!! I just LOVE the new color! The foyer curtain will be replaced with a long white one that will be attached to one side of the window and flow all the way down to the floor and we will hopefully get really nice white wooden thick blinds for that window as well.... all in due time. If you click on the foyer window picture it will enlarge and you will see a small black frame on the wall. I want to replace that with a bigger black frame and matte the picture inside of it. The picture is of Hubby and I on our empty piece of land holding the SOLD sign right after we signed our building contract... a great memory and a great reminder of how this house is a blessing of God.... 100%. Something I never want to forget or take for granted.

I hope everyone enjoys this holiday weekend with your families.....

Our Sept. 1st Tradition

Every September 1st we celebrate the beginning of fall ( or what we hope will bring fall quicker) by baking apple pies. The tradition started many years ago when my older kids were little. By the time August was coming to a close, we were tired of summer, the hot temperatures and summer in general. Even though September was still sometimes hot in NY, we wanted to jump right into Fall... and what is more fall then the smell of apple pie cooking in the oven??

The tradition continued and now, many many years later we look forward to our September 1st apple pie... the start of all things fall in our home.

Here are some pictures from this past wednesday and the yumminess we had =)

2009 Apple Pie

2008 Apple Pie