Coming soon to a nursery near you...

(well, probably not near you, but...)

Joel Osburn and William Conrad!

Yep. That's right. I've got two boys growing inside of me. I never dreamt that it would be two boys, but Jeremy has been saying that all along. I guess that explains all the extra hair on my back and belly, huh? :o) (I wish I was kidding! At least it's peach fuzz'ish)

I couldn't be more excited about my boys. We're calling them Oz and Conner and I know that Oz is on my right and will probably be born first and Conner is on my left. Oz is my wild child and Conner is the complacent one. Well, that's how I think of them in my head based on their kicks.

Everyone is doing really well and the specialist said that he didn't expect to have to see me again. Yay!

I've managed to pick up a cold or something. Leave it to me to wait until April to get sick, huh? I'm doing okay and have OTC drugs that I can take, but I'm ready to be well again. At least my throat is not as sore today.

I leave for North Alabama tomorrow and will be spending the next few days up there sans hub. I'm going to miss him like crazy, but I'm really looking forward to spending so much time in my hometown and I'm totally not letting a little cold stop me. I've been trying to take it easy so that I'll get better faster.

I've been tearing up the pavement trying to find the fabric that I want to use in the nursery. I've already decided that it's going to be some sort of variation of the blues and browns, and oddly enough I'm having a hard time finding something in that genre. There's not a lot of fabric stores down here, so on Friday my mom and I are going to look in Huntsville at all of her favorite haunts. (She's sewing all the nursery stuff)

Then on Saturday my little sister and my Kelley and I are going shopping for my shower dress! I'm a little nervous about buying it a month in advanced, but what sane pregnant girl is going to turn down someone wanting to buy her a dress at Motherhood Maternity? I can wear it before the shower down here and if I outgrow it I'll find something else to wear.

Then on Sunday is my little SIL's baby shower for her son, Eli. It's going to be a long weekend full of babies, excluding Thursday afternoon when I'm bound and determined to visit my favorite Mexican resturant. (I'll be thinkin of you Amanda!) :o)

Obviously I'm excited. Can you tell that I've yet to speak to anyone face to face today? :o)

I'm sure I'll check in on ya'll when I get to my Dad and Kelley's and maybe I'll even be able to do some catch up on your blogs!

Love ya bunches!

18 weeks!

So, you asked for it, and I've finally found the Internet speed to do it, so here they are - the pregnancy photos. This first one is of me on Christmas Eve. I'm 4 weeks pregnant and totally unaware that there's two boogers in there. The second one is a totally unflattering picture of me at 9 weeks. I'm already in maternity pants here and showing. I think you can tell that I'm not feeling too hot, but the yellow background wasn't very good for my complection either. Okay, so the more pictures I add, the more it messes up the order, but I'm sure you can figure out which one is which. The last picture is me at 14 weeks. (I think the caption says 12 but it's wrong) My eyes are closed and my butt looks huge. I'm hoping that tomorrow's progress pictures turn out better. My Kelley took pictures of me and my skinny little preggo SIL, and I dread seeing those comparisons, too. :o)

I went to the OB today and had a good check-up. I got to see the babies and they're doing well. They're kicking like crazy and I love to feel them. I'm told that eventually they'll be big enough that I won't love them keeping me awake, but I'm enjoying it while I can.

We find out a week from today what they are! Yeah!

I promise I'll check back in ASAP and let you know what we find out!

Week 16 (or is it 17?)

I have no idea what week I'm in, because I have no idea when my due date is. You'd think that I would know, right? You'd think that my doctor would have told me by now what the for sure date is. But she hasn't. I've been told anywhere from August 24th to September 1st, so I really don't know how far along I am. It technically doesn't matter because it's not like they're going to induce me just because I hit that magic 40 weeks (unless they need to induce me). We should find out the for sure date on our next super cool ultrasound which is on April 3rd. They're looking at the twins structures (hearts, bones, etc) and I'm sure we'll find out what we're having then. (I just hope they're human!)

Everything else is going fabulously wonderful. I feel like me again, and I didn't really how unlike myself I was acting until I started acting normal again. I have plenty of energy - most of the time - and as long as I rest when my body tells me to I can typically do whatever I want. (not including climbing. It's really hard for a shorty like me to go through life without climbing. I caught myself climbing on top of the washing machine earlier today and thought, "Oops! I'm going to get into trouble!")

I'm huge, though. Like, bigger than any of the other pregnant women I know (except for Amanda!) and two of them are due in May! I read somewhere that a twin mommy looks like she's full term at 5 months, and since I'm somewhere above 4 months I guess it makes sense that I'm really pregnant. I'm loving my belly, though. It's just hard to find maternity clothes around here that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. I'm going to have to go shopping when I visit North Alabama again. I'll be wearing moo-moo's before this pregnancy is over! (oh, I hope I'm just kidding!)

I feel the need to accomplish EVERYTHING while I feel like doing stuff. I was going crazy trying to figure out what I was going to register for, and what I needed two of, and what I didn't need at all, and whatever else, and then my Kelley told me to register for what I wanted, and if it was a big something (bouncy seat or swing or whatever) to keep the receipt and if one of the babies doesn't like it then I can take it back. Makes sense to me. I just had this mental image of me holding two screaming babies and not being able to decide who got to sit in the magical bouncy seat that I only had one of because I didn't know if they'd both like it and I didn't want to be wasteful. Is this normal new mom stuff or is it Mandy psychosis? It's hard to tell.

I've been having some CRAZY dreams lately, and I'm really enjoying them now. At first they were scary, but now they're hilarious. Like last night, I had three of them. The first one I dreamt that Jeremy was counseling a couple who couldn't get pregnant for some unknown reason, just to find out that the wife used to be a man. The second I dreamt that I kept my son in a box at the church (I had to wait a few weeks to deliver the second twin for some reason) and it was completely normal for me to keep my child in a box in a separate building. And then I dreamt that I wanted to dry my non-existant dog so I put it in the microwave. (Don't worry - the dog was fine) But can you believe? What would make me dream that? I read on Amanda's blog that when you dream the sex of your child that it's typically accurate. I always dream that I have a boy and a girl. Always. I so hope that's what's in there, but if not then I'll really be just as happy. But I'll eventually want a little girl, I think. (That is if having two babies at once doesn't scare us so bad that we won't want another pregnancy!)

I'm trying to wait to go back to the house until the ADT man leaves, but I'm STARVING, so I don't think that I'll make it. :o)

Happy St. Patty's day, ya'll! Throw back a beer for me, okay? (I'd LOVE to have one!) ;o)

second trimester!

Yeah! I've finally made it to the second trimester! I had high hopes that the ickiness would stop by now, but not yet. I don't think I've blogged since the morning sickness has kicked in in high gear, but I'm learning how to deal with it.

We got to see the boogers again last week, and they're doing well. We still don't know who's who or what's what, but they look like little aliens. :o) I love my little et's.

We've been keeping really busy but it's all going really well. The hub is settling in and it's so cute to hear people call him "Preacher". I still get to do what I want to do at the church and no one really expects anything of me - and they still see me as a church leader! It's great. :o)

I'm totally in maternity clothes at this point, and I don't mind them, for the most part. My mother keeps buying me 5x's (no kidding) and saying that I'll eventually get into them. *rolls eyes* Why don't we wait and see how much of a whale I become before we start ordering the bed hoist, shall we? It sounds horrible to say, but it's really a blessing that she's 4 hours away. She'd be driving me crazy if she were any closer. (and we won't even start on my Gran...) They're just worry'ers. My Dad and Kelley have been really great, though. Nothing negative, always excited and full of support. (and Dad's always willing to fix me whatever I want to eat...)

Jeremy's dad is doing much much better. The doctor released him from the heart center's care, and the hospital is writing off most of the charges. (they didn't have insurance) They've decided that they can take on buying our house, so that's one less burden on us. It's totally an answer to prayers.

I hope all is well, and I appreciate all of your support! I think about you all the time, and I miss you guys!!

Smooches & Hugs!!

*sigh* still no high-speed :o)

Well, the hubs still hasn't managed to figure out a way that we can afford high-speed, and I just can't handle the extra stress of dial up right now! :o) The church is going to buy Jeremy a lap top that's Wi-Fi ready, so at least we can go to Panera or something like that for free internet.

This week has been really hard. Between constantly feeling hungry and feeling sick (and still hungry!) I haven't really been myself. I'm officially wearing maternity clothes now, and I'm only 9 weeks and 4 days! It's the twins, right? Please tell me it's because they're 2 x's the normal stuff! My Kelley finally said, "Mandy, take care of yourself. Listen to your body. Eat when you want, and if worse comes to worse, you know how to lose weight." And for now I'm taking that advice. I'm not eating all the chocolate cake, but I'm definitely no low-carbing it. Carbs are my friends!

Everything else is going fine. We've got names picked out - Joel Osburn (Oz), William Conrad (Conrad), Robbie Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Olivia Ann (Ollie). They're all family names. If the Boogers are brother and sister it'll be Lizzie and Oz, which have been our boy and girl names from day one.

I've been reading about taking care of twins like crazy. I've made up my mind to breast feed for as long as possible (even if they are getting bottles of my milk), and there's so much to learn. I'm afraid that I'm going to forget everything, but I guess it'll come back when I need it.

Well, I hope you're all doing fabulous! I'm going to see if I can't check in with you now. *fingers crossed!!*

Have a Grandola Granola Day!!

week 7

It's official. I feel pregnant. :o)

Up until now I've been pretty lucky. Just a mild sense of nausea and very few mood swings. I was tired, but not dog tired. And then week 7 hits and I really began to feel it. It's still not hard or horrible, but I'm beginning to feel less guilty for not being able to get all of my to-do's done each day. I still have a whole house to organize (it's all unpacked, but it's sorta stashed in it's appropriate room) but I keep telling myself, "Another month and you'll be in the second trimester." The second one is easier, right?

Organization is really big to me right now. I feel like if I can get my house running and on a schedule then it will be easier to keep down the chaos once the twins get here. (there's no need to tell me that this is impossible...) :o)

And I just realized that there's a chance that we have to come up with some new names. We have a boy name (Joel Osburn and we'll call him Oz) and we have a girl name (Robbie Elizabeth and we'll call her Lizzie) but it took us 3 years to figure those out. No kidding. They are both names from our grandparents (or great grandparents) that have already past. And I love them. They're my babies's names. But now I feel pressured to come up with another boy and girl name that's also from grandparents. And I have less than 8 months to do it. :o) See how I like to stress about the things I can handle and just let things that I can't roll off of me? It's how I roll. :o)

Well, I've gotta stop short. The hub is pressuring me to wrap things up here at the library and I still haven't checked in on ya'll. Maybe I can come back soon. I love you and miss you!!

Thanks for all of my sweet comments - they really do give me the warm fuzzies!! :o)

twinkies

Yesterday was my first OB appointment, and it went really well. I got to have my first ultrasound. Actually I got to have two of them. Because you'll never guess what we saw on the first one.

two babies.

That's right. There's two Boogers in there! Twins!

I never in my life thought that this would happen. I knew that my Gran had miscarried twins before my mom was born, but I never really thought that it would skip a generation. Umm. Believe me. It really does. :o)

There's a lot of unknowns, but I know that this is a God Thing. Sometimes God has a really wicked sense of humor, doesn't He? :o)

Oh, and both of the babies are healthy. We think that they're fraternal twins, which is supposed to be safest because they have their own little spots. We'll know more next month. They were so tiny this time that all we saw was their heart beats and blood flow. I was told that I'm 6 weeks 4 days along, but again it's hard to tell because they're so small. I guess they're even smaller than what one booger would be, although I'm not sure.

The hub has promised me that we'll find faster internet somewhere tomorrow, and I can actually do some research and update my profile.

It still hasn't sunk in yet. I guess it's something that I'll process a little at a time. But in the meantime I'm so not going to feel guilty for the five pounds that I've gained since finding out I'm pregnant. And I'm definitely not going to worry about my mandatory afternoon naps. I'm sleeping for three now. :o)

I hope you're all doing great. I wish that I could check in, but my browser shuts down everytime I try to use one of my links. Hopefully I'll stop by tomorrow and see what ya'll have been up to. I miss you and hope you're having wonderfully OP days!!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone else's New Year is going as well as mine. The move was very smooth, and we're settling into the parsonage. I absolutely love it. It's so nice and open. The parishioners have been great. There was supper waiting for us when we got here on Tuesday and someone's bringing by more food tonight. Yum-yum! :o)

My FIL is doing much better. His spirits seem to have improved, and, aside from a slight cough, he is healthy. We were told that his heart is still very strong - much stronger than it should be after a heart attack. And then we found out yesterday that the hospital will more than likely cover the costs of everything. That's a huge answer to prayers. I can't even fathom how much money that would be. So, the chances of them getting our old house are much better. We'll still have to wait and see, but at least there's hope!

I also found out yesterday that my SIL is having a boy. His name is Eli Landon and we're expecting him mid-July. They really wanted a boy - and I really wanted them to have a boy, too. That way, if I have a girl, I'd at least have the first girl grandbaby and my parents would be more inclined to drive four hours to see her. (I know - it's silly and childish, but it's the truth.) Cyrena's cyst is half the size that it was a month ago and the doctor told them that it's not a reason for concern anymore. Another answer to prayers! We're on a roll! :o)

Booger and I are doing fine. I just unpacked the scale this morning and it was up way more than I wanted it to be. I haven't weighed myself in close to a month, and I'm not happy at all with the results - somewhere around 10 pounds up! But, it was after eating breakfast so maybe that's a little bit of it. I've just really have to buckle down and start eating healthy foods again. Now that I have a functioning kitchen I should be able to do a modified Core plan and maintain. The hub keeps saying, "You're pregnant! You're supposed to gain weight!" Yeah, but not that much weight.

So, I'm bound and determined to walk around this beautiful church of ours for exercise, limit sweets, and give Booger good stuff to eat. I'm just so stinking hungry - all the time! I never feel full long. I ate two pieces of toast, three slices of bacon, and a glass of skim milk this morning for breakfast, and I'm already watching the clock for lunch. (T-minus 2 hours to go!) I'd love some suggestions. Maybe oatmeal will stick to me better? Our pantry is a little bare, but I have oatmeal. :o)

My first doctor's appointment is a week from today. It's with a group that consists of just two doctors, and I can't pronounce my doctor's name correctly. I don't even know if it's a man or a woman, but I know that I'll be seeing my doctor of choice just as much as I'll be seeing this other doctor, so it's the best that I'm going to get. I can't really complain - at least I finally have a doctor!

My Google Reader wouldn't load on this dinosaur with dial up that I'm using, but I'm going to try again now. I miss you all and I hope that you're having lovely OP days!!

long time no sing

(am I really tired or is that sorta witty?)

Lawzie lou! So much has happened since the last time I blogged.

First, my FIL had a heart attack on Friday. Thankfully, he's doing as good as possible now, but he gave us quite a scare. He'll be coming home tomorrow morning. Because he doesn't have health insurance they're in quite a bind and will no longer be buying our house. Which means we'll be carrying a mortgage down to Auburn with us on a salary that doesn't account for a mortgage. Thankfully it's only about $400 a month, so I can totally cover that while working part time some where.

It's been a world of ups and downs, but right now it's definitely up. God has definitely given us plenty of opportunities to trust in Him, and thanks to my wonderful husband I've been able to see things that way. I know that we'll be taken care of.

We get the UHaul tomorrow and the guys will be loading 'er up. I won't have to lift a finger. Because the house will still be our's we can leave some stuff here (ie: a piano that's a pain in the arse to move) and tha makes life easier.

On the preggers front I've been doing alright. I'm not eating as much of a variety as I should be, but I've been moving around so much I don't feel like I've gained any more. My Kelley took a picture of me - profile - on Christmas Eve, and I don't look like I've gained any there. Although I was sucking it in. It's way too soon to have a bump! :o)

There's soo much I want to tell ya'll, but I'm having to steal time to just "check in" (although I've already rambled more than most of you...) I've been reading blogs off and on, but I haven't left any comments, so let me leave one big one to all of you saying, "Happy New Year!! I love you!! Smooches!!" :o)

I'll check back in ASAP, but if you don't hear from me for a little while don't worry. It might take a while before I brave the dial-up at the church. *gulp*

I hope you all have wonderfully OP New Years!! {{HUGS!}}

PS: Amanda - I don't know how to make Booger's counter bigger - I might have to find a new one. I just stared week 6, though, I think. Yay!

twas the night before Christmas

Editor's Note: Upon reading back over this, I've realized that it's completely spastic and a little disorganized. For this I apologize. I'm blaming my Preggo Brain and the fact that it's not even daylight yet.

Okay. It's more like the butt crack of dawn Christmas morning. More specifically it's 4:20 am. (the more juvenile Mandy would comment on this. Now that I'm a mature & responsible mother I will just gloat at being so above this.) :o)

I woke up this morning at 3:16. I wake up every morning in the three o'clock hour now. This morning what I thought was nausea turned out to be some serious heart burn. Serious. So, since I couldn't sleep I decided to check in.

Most of the family knows that I'm pregnant now, and they're all excited. I've taken to calling the baby Booger because it has to have some sort of name besides "Baby". I hate to admit this, but the hub and I have fallen into a disgusting habit which includes calling one another Baby, so the name was already taken. Speaking of the hub - things have been a little weird between the two of us. I think between me being a little extra hormonal (I know - shocker!) and him not knowing what to do makes us feel a little awkward. Sunday afternoon I let loose on him because he was hitting my leg and was intentionally swerving on the way to church - despite me saying, "Ugh. I so could throw up." I don't want special attention. I know I'm not THAT pregnant. But come on, dummy. At least be nice to me. And ever since then he has been. I cried a little more than what I had to just to make sure he got it. :o)

I'm really not doing well on the food front. It's so hard to watch what you eat at Christmas, but when people are saying, "Go on, eat more. You're eating for two now." it makes it even harder. It's a total lack of will power. Obviously I have no will power against food - I'm the Fat Lady who's not singing yet. I think I should temporarily change my blog title, though. I'm not fat - I'm pregnant! :o) (Actually today I just feel fat)

Once we move (which is in a week from today, btw) I'm hoping that I can get some sort of schedule down which includes exercise and healthier eating. I'm thinking that foods on the Core plan would be a really good guideline, but I think I'm going to tweak it to include low fat dairy and not just fat free dairy. I feel like I need to follow something pretty strictly, otherwise I'll be trying to birth a 10 pound baby in 9 months. (BTW - how come we were never told about this 40 weeks stuff before pregnancy? That's 10 months! I only signed up for 9!! I mean, I have no choice to go along with it now, but they could have warned a girl!)

Well, I'm off to check Google Reader and to update my page a little. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas & I can't wait to hear from ya'll soon! I've missed ya!!

101th

You know what I just realized? My "I'm Pregnant" post was my 100th. That's kinda cool, isn't it? :o)

I started "feeling pregnant" yesterday. I don't quite know how to describe it. It's kind of like a little bit of nausea mixed with excitement. It's slowly sinking in. Just as soon as I think I've mentally mastered it I realize that in nine months I'm going to be a mommy and it all just blows me away again. It's wonderfully enchanting.

And I'm scared to tell my mom. It's like I'm 16 or something.

Because we're moving and our insurance is changing we've elected to wait to go to the doctor until we get to Auburn. Which means I'll have to pick my OBGYN based on recommendations. Fortunately, one of my best friend's sister lived there for a while. Hopefully she has one that she loves. If she doesn't there a few ladies from church that I can ask. I'd just kinda hate that to be one of our first conversations, you know? (good news - I'm knocked up and still a prude!!) :o)

I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be and not supposed to be doing. Like, I know free basing coke is out, but is it okay if I Windex my glasses? I guess I'll be doing more research today. Maybe I can get my hands on a few of ya'll's books suggestions soon.

Somehow my coworker guessed me out yesterday. She said she could just tell. I think it was because I was scarfing down cheese straws. She says it's because she's been pregnant three times. What was it? Did I accidentally wear "mom jeans" yesterday or something? Maybe I'm a little paler than typical. Maybe she could hear my horrific gas trumpeting out of the bathroom. (Sorry - TMI? It's really been bad, though) I thought I was being discrete. Apparently she's a Jedi Master of Preggos. Either way - my mom finds out tomorrow morning. Before someone else tells her that her youngest daughter was walking around Wal-Mart somehow looking pale and green at the same time, horrifically contorting her face in effort to keep from tooting her own horn down the produce aisle.

Oh. And after today I'll be unemployeed. Undefinitely. The lack of income has never made me happier. :o)

Since I don't know if I'll be blogging before Wednesday I want to say that I hope that you all have a Very Merry Christmas. May you and your family be blessed in this special time of year!

xoxo

oh wow

oh wow.

guess what?

I took a pregnancy test yesterday, and it came out positive.

So I took another one - different brand and everything - and that one was positive, too.

I'm Pregnant!


It's really not quite sunk in yet. I haven't started having crazy symptoms or throwing the crockery at my husband. I just didn't start my period on time so I thought I'd take a test.
So I did. :o)

I'm in the fourth week, but I'm only two weeks along. That doesn't quite make sense to me. I'm going to do some major studying today. Either way - the baby is due at the end of August. It's gonna be one hot summer!

We're obviously really excited. We told my MIL last night and she went ape. I'm telling my family at Christmas. I'm going to make them open a gift with some sort of clue in it, or something like that. My brain is mush. I don't quite have it figured out yet.

But can you believe it? I so can't. Don't get me wrong - I'm perfectly content to not be throwing up, but I just feel much more normal than I thought that I would. Hmmmm.

Well, I'm off to compulsively track down pregnancy info. :o)

Hope you have fabulously OP days!

PS: I don't think any of you do, but if you know me IRL, PLEASE keep this quiet until my mom is told (on Sunday). She would be so hurt if she found out someone knew before she did! Thanks!

they so don't know what they're getting themselves into...

The weekend was fabulous. We got our U-Haul's load of boxes down there safely, and our precious new parishioners helped us unload the truck. They're all so excited for us to be there permanently. It's so humbling.

Each time I look at the parsonage I see something else that I absolutely love. Aside from the curtains (which I hope wont hurt any feelings when I remove them) and a room with yellow walls that doesn't match my decor it's absolutely perfect. I can't wait to live there. :o)

We arrived at the church at around 11:00 on Friday night and the sky was just gorgeous. It was an amazingly clear night and I could make out so many constellations. And we even saw a meteor shower. It was like God's Welcome Home gift.

I only have three more days here at work. It's really crazy how fast the time has gone by. I'm so ready for it, but also a little nervous. I guess that's natural.

I felt a little skinny this morning, so I wanted to weight myself but realized that Jeremy had already packed my scale. Oh darn. Christmas without a scale. How ever will I manage? ;o)

I've been having really bad heartburn the past few days so I'm really trying to watch what I eat. I keep thinking "Maybe You're Knocked Up!!" but I'm so trying not to get my hopes up. I did eat an awful lot of spicy stuff the last few days. I'm sure that has a lot to do with it.

Oh, and I have to tell you this. The people of Union have started calling me "The First Lady". How precious is that? It's so much more elegant than "the Preacher's Wife", isn't it? And, since I'm the most elegant person you will ever hope to meet, it's definitely fitting. I really think I need some big thick pearls, don't you? And maybe a hat with flowers? And definitely a rose colored suit (with a skirt that comes past my knees, of course) and some support hose that are three shades darker than my natural pastey complexion (aka - everyone else's skin tone) and some really good quality orthopedic pumps. Then I'll be set.

At least I can still wear my broach collection.
(yes, I really do have a broach collection. I love them more than words can say. But if I were to try to use words to say it they would be something like, "I really love them".)

I hope ya'll have fabulously OP days!!

keepin it real

Whew! We did it! We got all the boxes packed and stacked in the sun porch and still managed to get into bed by 10:00. That's not to imply that I actually fell asleep then, but at least we weren't burning the midnight oil.

I haven't talked about weight loss stuff in a while because I've totally been using ya'll as a stress reliever. Hope you don't mind. The truth is I think that I'm currently just holding steady. I'm not pigging out but I'm not counting points, either. I'm sure it would be possible for a normal person, but I just don't think I can add another stressor right now. And I'm hormonal. Lawsie am I ever hormonal! And I keep thinking, "Ohh I might be pregnant!" and that just makes things a little worse.

But how awesome would it be to be pregnant right now? I could so totally get away with not having to lug around those heavy boxes or help move furniture. Never mind that my mother moved while she was eight months pregnant with me, and obviously nothing is at all wrong with me. Jeremy has this concept of what a pregnant woman can and cannot do, with the cannot list a lot longer than the can's, and I'd just hate to burst his little bubble. Descent of me, isn't it? :o)

I'm almost finished with my Christmas shopping and that forced day off will actually help out a lot. I can run into a nearby city and finish it up. Each year Jeremy and I get each other an ornament and I've been looking all over my hometown trying to find a church ornament. So far, nothing. Not even on a web site. So I'll go to my favorite of all favorites - Hobby Lobby - and find a really good one. I might also get my hair cut.

Oh! And I got new funky glasses! I'm so excited about them. They're brown plastic frames that sort of have an understated cat-eye thing going. A little dorky, a little spunky, and definitely affordable. (just like me!) The hub even likes them. I can't wait until they come in.

We're heading down to Auburn tonight with a 14ft U-Haul and me in tow. We ordered a 10ft'er, but they sent a 14ft one and we're doing our best to not waste the extra (free!) space. Ya'll just pray for me. I'll have 4 hours all by myself on the trip down and there's no telling what sort of fantasy land I'll be living in by the time I get there. I'll probably be having two sided conversations about what color the drapes at the palace should be. Oh I so hope the impersonations don't come out. They're so annoying. Well, maybe my loverly satellite radio will save my sanity.

Well I hope you all have fabulous weekends and I'll see you on Monday!!

*smooches!!*

what are they going to do, fire me?

Okay, so, when I gave my notice in here at work I sorta joked with my boss saying, "You know I've never quit a job that I didn't want to leave before. Maybe you can make me mad on my last day so that I won't cry." Well, he LOVED that and has told all the rest of the partners as many times as possible. *rolls eyes* I'm kissing booty as I'm going out the door.

I never in my life thought that he would take me seriously and actually piss me off. But he did. And here's the story. I like to call it "That Time My Boss Pissed Me Off - Chapter 8745"

They hired my replacement yesterday. A pretty little sorority girl who has another semester left before she receives her BS in Accounting. A good choice, I think. The polar opposite of me, obviously, but that's probably a good thing.

I was almost excited when it was said that I'd have a few days to train her. "Whew!" I thought, "Now I won't feel like I'm leaving them hanging." And then I thought, "It's not tax-season. What am I supposed to do? Train her how to narrate her life in a blog? Teach her to become obsessed with key websites that are wholly inappropriate for the office? Teach her to make long distance phone calls to her bff in Tokyo?" Well, whatever. I'll show her what little can be done right now and then I'll continue my daily fascination with the Pioneer Woman. (I just learned how to do that - aren't you proud?)

So then my boss tells me yesterday that he would like for me to take a day or two off next week so that she can go at it on her own, with me being close to my phone as a safety net. "Oh yay!" I thought. "A couple of days at home. I could spend an entire day in my pj's. I wouldn't have to wear make up or even shower if I didn't want to." (which if I wasn't going anywhere I probably wouldn't.) The he says, "You've got some vacation stored up, right?" and it hits me - he's forcing me to take a vacation day. He's taking money away from me. I had intentionally saved those vacations and PTO days so that when we go through our 2 weeks of unemployment we won't be hurting for money. Oh yeah, and I did I mention that it's Christmas and we're moving here, boss? So I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm seriously tempted to work overtime to make up for it. Then he'll have to pay me time and a half. *evil laugh*

We'll see. I might consider it as being "on-call" and just not turn in the mileage for driving 100 miles away to go to the company Christmas party he forced me to attend. (Oh, I didn't tell you about that? That was "That Time My Boss Pissed Me Off - Chapter 8744") I'm sure that won't happen either because my dag blame conscious won't let me. Oooh! I know. I'll just take a butt load of office supplies with me. There's this electric stapler I've been eyeing ever since the first day walk in the door.....

Have Wonderfully OP Days, Ya'll!

things I will not discuss with a parishioner (ever again)

1. When telling said parishioner that I saw him driving down Main Street, I will not suggest that I was stalking him. This will completely prevent the statement, "Good! I love it when hot little things stalk me!" and thus preventing the lobster like flush that followed.
2. I will never in any circumstance whatsoever allude to, suggest, hint, or in other way allow the idea that my husband (his pastor) and I are trying to conceive, avoiding the wise advice to "stand on my head".
3. Once saying that standing on my head was not a viable option for me, I will not delve that I had 13 casts before 6th grade, making me the biggest freak of nature ever to become a preacher's wife.
4. I will not suggest that said member talks way too much and that I really pray for his wife. Then I will not try to smooth things over by saying that I too talk way too much and that he should be praying for my husband.
5. When it is said that I am favored over dear sweet Jeremy I will not agree whole heartedly and then try to console them by saying that I thought it was the general consensus of the congregation, but as I can not be the preacher's wife without the preacher suggest that we keep him.
6. And as I will never have such a conversation again, I will not enjoy it to its fullest extent. I will not allow myself to be goaded into saying more and more outrageous things only to hear the side splitting laughter on the other side. And I will not be forced to think about said conversation over and over, cringing at the inappropriateness of it all, knowing that I will surely be teased by all the private information released.

Oh well. At least we'll be moving four hours away in a few weeks! :o)

it's a technicolor Christmas

So, I'm finally calmed down a little. There's probably about 10 more boxes that have to be packed by Thursday night, and I can so handle that. I want to get my house picked up before then, too, because Jeremy's nosey uncle is coming over to help him load everything while I'm at work on Friday. I know he'll go in every single room possible and I'm not about to let him find dirty underwear. (Did I just admit that there's dirty underwear on my floor?) But I'm just so grateful that he's helping I'm not even going to complain about it.

Okay. It's time for another confession from Mandy. Are you ready for this?

I absolutely love tacky Christmas sweaters. (not that all Christmas sweaters are tacky, I just love the tacky ones...) I can't explain it. I know that they're tacky. I know that Stacy and Clinton would fry me at the steak for wearing it. I know that my husband is slightly embarrassed by it. But I don't care. I love them. Last year I had found the absolute perfect tacky Christmas sweater. It was pink and had this cute collar and it said "Merry Christmas" in funky colors. Shear tacky Christmas sweater perfection. And now it's too big for me. So I've been searching frantically for a replacement to wear this weekend to the Christmas pageant at our new church and I can't find anything to fit the bill. My favorite so far was heavy on the leopard print, and it was a little too tacky for this occasion. I have to find something that meets me half way. Like one that's not your typical Christmas colors but doesn't have all the bells and whistles. (although a sweater with bells and whistles would be really cool...) I might have to settle for a tacky Christmas vest. At least that way it can come off if needed... (but vests are even tackier than sweaters, no?)

Okay. So now you know. I hope it doesn't make you hate me. I'm just being real, yo.

Hope you all have wonderfully OP days!!

oh no you did'ent!

Oh my. It's such a relief that I'm a natural kind of girl. I don't wear much makeup, and everything else on me is what God gave me. It's a relief because right now I'd be pulling out my hair plugs and snapping off my fake nails if I had 'em. And then I'd just be left with a cold bottom and damaged nail beds...

Our plumbing messed up again last night. My dear sweet long suffering heroic hub called last night before I got off work and told me that the toilet was suddenly overflowing, and he hadn't flushed it in over an hour. Luckily I wasn't there to deal with the carnage (although I did have to hear about it) and I told him to call a plumber. And this time he listened to me right away and called Mr. Rooter. So, he didn't get to go with me last night to the charity Christmas party we were planning on attending. And while he was knee deep in last week I was enjoying my mother's boss impersonating Elvis. I should have felt guilty, but all I felt was relief that I didn't have to deal with it. And it's fixed now. :o)

I'm looking forward to Saturday when I'll be packing boxes and avoiding anyone I won't allow to see me in my pj's from 40 pounds ago. (which excludes everyone but my husband and my cats) Maybe I can get enough done that I'll stop waking at 2:27 every morning, hyperventilating from the shear lack of things not crossed off my to do list. (I haven't been doing this, but it makes me smile to think that it's something that I would do if I didn't sleep like a bear in winter when I do eventually slip into slumber)

And it makes me feel so much better about myself to know that there's other Wrappers Anonymous here in this world. And MMalloy, I totally scope out the other rival presents to make sure mine's the best wrapped, too. If God had not blessed me with these wonderfully magical talents I would not have to struggle so with my pride. :o) (how cocky was that statement?)

It's taken me about an hour to write this blog because I've been interrupted a few times (and I'm at WORK! Don't these people have any sense of decency?) and by now I'm laughing at myself. My faith in my ability to accomplish something at the last minute (although it is what I hate most in this world) is kicking in (or maybe it's the Xanax...) and I'm thinking I can handle it. Now if I can only remember that at 2:27 tomorrow morning.

I hope you all have wonderfully OP weekends!!

Smooches!

obsession confession

Whew! It's been one of those mornings. For some reason I just could not get my booty in gear and I ended up running late. I'm sure the forty billion different outfit changes didn't help matters either. See, I was roped into attending 2 separate Christmas functions yesterday. One is tonight and one is tomorrow night, so I had to totally reassess the wardrobe situation. I still don't have a lot of clothes in this size (like 3 pairs of dress pants with various tops...) so I have to really navigate through. So, needless to say I didn't make it to the scale this morning. It's probably just as well - we ate Mexican food last night. (And I thought of my favorite pregnant cyber friend!!) I got the fajita taco salad, so I made a descent choice, but the chips I munched on probably caused some water retention.

I'm doing my best to not freak out about the lack of stuff not accomplished, but everyone seems to be doing their best the steal my time. I was planning on packing all tonight, tomorrow night and all weekend, but it looks like that's not happening. I have to have a 10 ft UHaul's worth of boxes in a week, and I'm no where there. But the up side is that I'm caught up on Christmas stuff. (I just remembered the church Santa Party I'm supposed to plan - so, well, I'm ALMOST caught up!) I just have a few more presents to buy, and everything that I have bought is wrapped.

I have this sick love of wrapping presents and it can take me 30 minutes easy to wrap just one. I try not to take that long, but I'm such a perfectionist with that sort of thing. And I've learned how to make a new style of bow this year, too. The hub made fun of me last night when I showed him our nephew's present. I had wrapped it with this gorgeous olive drab green foil paper and used a sort of rusty gold ribbon for his bow. And Jeremy said, "honey, you just spent no telling how long on that pretty pretty package just for him to rip it open". Oh well. It makes me happy. (and besides, my mom is a freak about wrapping, too, and with this new bow I'm totally kickin her little arse this year!) :o)

So there's just one more sick thing that you probably wished you didn't know about me!

Have a wonderfully OP day!

just checking in...

I just wanted to post a quickie (hee!) this morning. We're interviewing replacements for me all day today and tomorrow, so I have a ton to do. I just wanted to say, "Yay! The scale is going down!!" It was somewhere around 191.4 this morning. The only thing that I've successfully changed is my breakfast and lunch routine (and no 3 pm cocoa...), and I'm not doing the best that I can in the evenings, but for now it's enough of a change to help.

Last night I was daydreaming about taking morning walks when I no longer have to slap on trousers and heels every day. That right - me wanting to exercise. It was a disturbing thought! :o)

Have a Wonderful OP Day!!