First, I need to apologize to anybody that came here via the link at Thrifty Decor Chick, I was irresponsible and linked my whole blog and before I had pictures to documents all of my decluttering and organizing. Even though I feel like there is so much to do still- I have accomplished a lot. I have done my room, my bathroom, K2's room, K3's room, my linen closet, my coat closet, the hall and K2 & K3's bathroom. I had already de-junked the kids' room pre-Christmas so theirs were easier then they might have been but I have a garbage bag that goes up to my chest full of things to take to DI and another half way full and there has been many bags taken to the garbage can. I have spent a small fortune on small clear plastic bins but I feel so accomplished. Next up are my laundry room, kitchen and living room. Then the basement. I would like to get the upstairs finished before we leave to Disneyland (only 4 more weeks).

My SIL and I are starting a new business venture. We have opened an Etsy shop and are thinking of ways to start networking. I am excited, I hope we can make some money out of having fun. We are making watch bands, using a variety of colors, shapes and types of beads. They are turning out so beautiful and I can't wait to share.

For the first time in my adult life I have been decorating for Valentine's Day. I am not going all out like Christmas or Halloween but little touches here and there. I was excited to see some of my favorite decorators using some of the same things I had bought from the Dollar Store. And I even had mine before they showed theirs!





And to add to my Valentine's stash, I won the magnets that MJ was offering at her place. WooHoo! Can't wait to add it with my Halloween one. She is amazing!

The Birth Story

To begin the story we must go back many generations, how far we just don’t know. The first known premature birth in my family begins with my Great-Grandmother. She gave birth at 7 months to a son, who survived by living in the old wood stove and who was fed with a dropper. My grandmother gave birth to a son at 6 months, her only son, he did not survive. My mother gave birth to her only son at 6 months in 1977, he weighed 1 lb 15 oz. With both her pregnancies my mother had no more then 2 real painful contractions, so when I became pregnant in the Summer of 1993 and decided to go to a doctor that was 45 minutes away there was always a concern that I too would go into either a premature or quick labor. I had a text-book pregnancy, and 4 days before my due date gave birth to my first son, K1. After I had him I began to have abnormal pap smears. I got pregnant with K2 in December 1996 and at 24 weeks I began to have cramps. I was tested, they determined I was having contractions and I began bed rest and Brethane. I was closely monitored and finally at 38 weeks I was induced. Before and after my pregnancy I continued to have bad paps and even tested positive for cancer and had to have many procedures and finally a cone biopsy that left me with very little cervix.

We decided in 2001 to have one last baby. I quickly became pregnant but at 11 weeks suffered a miscarriage. It was so severe that I almost bled to death before they were able to finalize the termination of the pregnancy. After a couple of months we tried again and I got pregnant. From the first I didn’t feel well. Nothing that I could quite put my finger on but I just felt sick. For the first time ever in my life I had a yeast infection and continued to have them throughout my pregnancy. Christmas was bad, I was mentally in a bad place and still just didn’t feel good.

January 19, 2002 I gave K1 a big bash for his eighth birthday. The week previous I had been having cramps, my doctor was on vacation but his staff had me go to my local doctor and be tested to make sure I didn’t have a kidney infection. I kept telling myself that if I still felt bad the Monday after K1's party I would call the doctor. Monday rolled around and I made the call. The doctor on call told me to come down and they would check to make sure everything was okay. I took K1 down with me because I figured it would be a quick trip down and back. HA! The doc decided to do the dreaded vaginal and discovered I was dilated to 2. There was a test they can do that shows if you are going to deliver within the next 2 weeks but they can’t do it if you have had a vaginal within 24 hours. They decided to keep me overnight in the hospital to make sure until they could do the test. I had to call DH, my mom and arrange for K1 to be picked up and DH to get down to me. They gave me the first steroid shot “just in case” and some other shot to stop the contractions and we settled down for the night. I woke up around 5 a.m. and called the nurse to request another shot. They checked me and discovered I was dilated to a 5. That began the frantic calls to Life Flight, on call Pediatrician and all the extras that were needed. They were concerned because they wouldn’t Life Flight me since I was so far dilated and there were severe storms and Life Flight wasn’t able to get in the air. The hospital I was at was not equipped to take care of a 26 week baby.

Finally at 9 a.m. the Life Flight crew showed up and within half an hour K3 was born. Unless you have been present for a premature birth there is no way to describe the horror of seeing that baby. I just kept saying “he’s too small, he’s too small”. There was no crying, there were people running around and trying to save his life. They prepared him to fly to Provo, my mom went in the airplane with him, and brought him in to us before they left. DH & I hurried and did what we had to do to be released and drove home. We had to buy K1's birthday present still (it was his birthday) and pack the kids up and take them to the various family members that were keeping them. We also had to prepare them for the possible “death” of their brother. We then drove the 2 hour and 40 minute ride to Provo, the first of many trips. Upon arrival we learned that our baby was considered "septic", his whole body was one giant infection.

The first night we stayed in the stay-in room at the hospital. I just remember not being able to sleep, laying in the uncomfortable bed with all the unusual noises and crying. Thus began our 13 week stay in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). That period of my life began shaping who I am now. I learned to be a fighter, a person who stands up for what I believe in. I learned to juggle 2 homes and 2 lives. No words could ever truly tell the story of our stay. But I am so thankful for the blessing that is K3 and all that he has brought to my life. Even if the start was a little rough the rest has been great. Thanks for being in my life K3. You have brought so much.



Also Happy 15th Birthday to K1. Without you our family would not be. Thanks for the smiles, the hugs, the love and for letting me be a mom. You are one of three of the best things that ever happened to me.

What happens when your DH is being very irritating and mean? You go shopping and buy those candlesticks that you have been coveting, at full price. *insert raspberry sound*

My very first award and my new mission

I have been awarded my very first blogger award. Woohoo! How exciting, a Major Award! I would like to thank Lisa for nominating me, she was my guide into the world of blogging.

So first I must pick 5 of my reads. That is very hard to narrow down but I must.

1. First up, Christie. I know Christie from a local Yahoo group of moms who have children with Special Needs. Christie has her hands full, literally, but she still manages to be gorgeous, funny and most of the time SANE!
2. MJ. MJ is one of my bloggy friends from Canada. She was also the victim of my first ever swap but I was rewarded by being hers also. I enjoy reading about her girls, her reno and all her crafting.
3. Saucy. Ms. Saucy was my first foray into a "crafty blog", she was also the person who gave me encouragement and opportunity to be involved in my first swap. I love reading about her adventures, seeing her creativity shine and even discovered we have some things in common.
4. Mrs. G. Mrs. G. is just cool. Her blog is entertaining, always insightful and she introduced me to the idea of a Secret Boyfriend and the Women's Colony. Good times are had by all at Derfward Manor.
5. Last but not least is Miss Keetha at Write Kudzu. We banded together through the 5k a$& project which she has done much better at then I, I love reading about her upcoming wedding, reading about her travels, coming from a Southern Gal I love to read about her South, the recipes, the book reviews, it is always fun at Keethas.

For those who won, here are the steps you need to take, in order to award your coolest blogs!

1. Place the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you

3. Nominate other blogs for this award

4. Add links to those blogs

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

6. Give a reason why you consider their blogs cool

I have decided to take the challenge over at Thrifty Decor Chick to declutter and organize.

First up I tackled my bedroom, since it is always the last to be cleaned up. DH is obviously scared as I have been told to stay away from his bedside table. Men! I have lots more to do but I like the idea of starting and staying with one room until it is done. I've already thrown away one big bag of garbage, have a big bag for DI and a box to be moved downstairs. I just need to wash walls behind my bed, vacuum under my bed and it is on to the next room. I hope to be completed by the time Spring rolls around so my spring cleaning will be done. :)

To come, in honor of K3's 7th Birthday I am going to write the saga of his birth. Stay tuned!

What makes me happy-good deals

I've been perusing all sorts of crafty blogs and getting all sorts of ideas. One, Nester, did a how-to post and a tour of mantel decorations. It got me thinking, next Christmas I really want to do a better mantel. First step was to get garland. I've been going to our local craft store to pick up extras for some of my projects and noticed outside their bin of discounted garland. I have really been considering but kept putting off the purchase. I decided last night drifting off to sleep that I'd just bite the bullet and go buy some. The list price was $2.99 down from $7.99 so I grabbed two, imagine my surprise when they rang up 2 for $3.20. 18 feet of garland for $3.20! Throw in some Fall colored berry garland marked down from $15.99 to $4.00 and I was a happy shopper!

I've got 10 months to decide what I want to add to make the garland me, so I plan to keep my eyes open. I would love to be able to be "one of those people" that have a crafty, welcoming home and do it all on a tight budget. But I am reading that it takes lots of trips to the dollar store, thrift stores and craft stores looking for the deals.

What I am on the look-out for now: Some clunky candle holders. Any color will work cause I know how to work the spray paint! I am also needing ideas for my mantel non-holiday. I have a Kincaid print over my mantel so I need something that compliments that. Any ideas?

Why it's cheaper to pay someone to do your hair

Photos do not do justice to the extreme my hair went through.

Here is after I colored it:


Here is after my SIL tried to fix it:


Here it is normally:

Random Ramblings

* I really am not looking forward to going back to work. Worse part about Holiday time. But I am SO ready for the kids to go back to school.

* K3 spent half the other night being sick. Fever, headache, tummy ache and his eyes were hurting. It took Tylenol, Ibuprofen and a couple of hours for the fever to break. He was struggling breathing and that freaks me out. Too many memories of the NICU.

* I have purchased my stuff for this project. Can't wait.

* I have a long list of projects, no energy to accomplish them.

* I haven't used my Kitchen Aid yet, I need to bake something, again-no energy. I have used my stainless steel mixing bowls though. Love em!

* I am not doing resolutions this year, instead I am trying to work on my self-image. I need to feel better about myself. Everything should fall into place if I am content with myself and my life.

* I got some good ideas from this post, make sure to check out the comments also.

* It really is better to just pay somebody to color your hair the first time, rather then pay them to fix it after you do it. I have gone from fluorescent purple to a blackish, reddish color. I look Goth according to DH. Pics to come.

* I found the perfect side table at my Grandma's, now I need to sand it down and stain. Another project.

* My blog reads are up to 38! And I am always looking for more.

* Countdown to Disneyland! Only 6 more weeks!