Transplanted in Texas

As of this publication, I am in my hometown preparing for a wedding. Hubby took the day off, and we came up last night. And tomorrow is the wedding that has been waited on for several months. Yance gets to wear a new outfit, I get to actually wear a maternity dress suitable for this, and hubby will look as handsome as ever in his jeans and button-down shirt. This whole week has been busy, preparing for this event and also doing a checkup on the baby. Sunday morning we went shopping, getting home in time to put the groceries away and then go to Ma's for lunch. While there, we finished adjustments on my dress, and spent the rest of the day chill-axing. It was a good ending to the weekend, and a good way to rest for the upcoming crazy week. Plus Yance lost his pacifier somewhere in the house, so now he's officially weaned from that. I was fixing to do it anyway, so that's one way to get it done. Thanks, kid. Monday, I was washing and folding all the clothing we would n...

This week is an update on several parts of our lives. Debt: no tax return; had to pay because I screwed up on the paperwork and didn't realize we had taxable income (oops) partly because we didn't last year. Sold cows yesterday at auction and will get the check within the next few days. Praying that they sold for more than expected. Will definitely get the debt paid off by our goal date regardless. Baby: starting to roll around and make its presence known! Looks like it could be a spunky kid and give Yance a run for his money. We're almost at 15 weeks now (June 3), and we'll visit the midwife again on June 12. Marriage: never better. I love my sweetheart! Sneaky: still here. Argh. Nobody wants him. We're making plans for next year should he fail to sell. There is still an ad on EquineNow that will stay through August before it gets taken down permanently. Dingus: it's been too hot to work in the afternoon so I haven't touched him this week. Regardless, ...

Last weekend, Kmarie of Dreamer's Essence  was here to hang out, go over wedding stuff with me (I am a bridesmaid in her August wedding), and catch up. She hasn't been out here in a year. She showed up Friday night and left Saturday evening, so she could be back in time to get some sleep and play piano for the church choir back home. And, of course, be home for Mother's Day. So, we started Saturday off by eating waffles (Yance was delighted), and then rode Jack and played with Dingus (video here ). Yance even got his first real ride with me! After that, we went over some wedding stuff, then she made us salad for lunch. D was off helping family with firewood gathering and that sort of thing, and didn't get back until closer to 4pm. We made chicken parmesan for supper, and soon after that she was on her way home. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and can't wait to be back in her area to see my family and hers next month. Sunday was Mother's Day, and D got me a...

Springtime isn't cool and pretty with some showers down here. Nope. It is crazy, with days in the 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s and nights in the 30s and 40s and maybe 50s. And then it suddenly decides it's summertime, with 85-95 degree temperatures ruling May. And lots of wind blowing the pollen around. Awesome. I'm glad we don't have crazy allergies. Whew. June means 100 degree weather starts getting here - or maybe it is just a continuation of May. Either way, June 1 means summer, even if it doesn't officially  get here until late that month. Springtime in Texas means pouring rain, crazy weather, green grass, blooming flowers, babies of all species, and unpredictability. Also it means Yance wants to spend all his time outside. We went to our first reenactment in a year last weekend, and Yance thoroughly enjoyed spending 36 hours or so outside in the sun and shade. We had fun, too, with D ending up on a 3 mile march with his group on Sunday. I cooked brunch on...

Yance has a new uncle. His aunt looked beautiful in her lacy, modest wedding gown. My brother ended up "DJ-ing" the wedding (there was no music at the reception), and my own husband was quite handsome in his blue and gray outfit. This weekend, we go to my parents' place to see my grandparents. It's been more than a year since we've seen each other, and so they have not held their first great-grandchild yet. I've been battling a sinus infection all week, so I haven't gotten a chance to ride or play with any horses... But Yance has! On Sunday, we went outside and he sat on Jack and then Windy. D held him and I took pictures. The little boy was just fine with it. Kelly has adopted nieces and nephews - two girls and two boys out of her late sister, Jadzia. Two tortoiseshells, a blue lynx point boy, and a black male. They are about the same age as her own two blue lynx point sons, and she took to them as soon as she heard their meows. She now has...

Present collection! Dryer (and me) Cake (no, we didn't eat all that in one sitting) So... For my birthday, I baked a cake, got a pie, and also some other things. My parents in law brought me a Breyer model horse set - the Classic size Black Caviar & Foal. Tana sent me some baby clothes (a onesie and footed pants to match), and my sweet hubby got me movies and ammo for my rifle. It was great. Dryer - in place and ready to go! We ate pizza for supper and drank A&W root beer, before cake and ice cream. And we watched the new Mechanic movie, too. Washing machine Last weekend, D got the dryer installed, and his future brother-in-law wired everything in for it to work. And then on Monday, D got the rest of the necessary pieces to make sure it and the washing machine ran without problems (one of those things being a dryer hose-vent without holes everywhere in it). Then the washing machine was hooked up, and tada! we have a working washing machine AND a work...

Today I turned a year older. My fortieth blog post commemorates my birthday - I wonder what my fiftieth will commemorate. Oh, wait, it'll probably review the Jefferson reenactment... and preview my very first Mother's Day. How fun! Well, with help from one of my brothers, D got the wall finished in the spare room, started the walls in the laundry room, and hauled the big washer & dryer inside. And they got the horses hay and shot some guns and had fun. We watched both "John Wick" movies - the first was rented from the RedBox on Friday, and the second was in a local theater, so we went Saturday. On Monday morning, that brother left, and I was left to myself. It was a long day, because I was achy and sore with no energy to speak of. Nearly the entire day was spent in bed. Then, at 11pm, prodromal labor (commonly known as false labor) began. I was having strong contractions for three hours, and was unable to relieve the discomfort despite rolling over, try...

My beloved knows how to treat me. On Saturday, after my family left, we went to a nearby lake, to "our spot", and watched the fish and the ripples in the water while relaxing for an hour. We were both tired, both pretty much done. Previously in the day, my mother and I had cleaned a spot in our room for the baby's crib, and my brothers and dad had sanded and done more mudding in the bathroom before heading out after doing what they could. Dad was also wiped out and needed to rest. My father-in-law spent some time getting the back steps replaced, finally (we'd been without back steps for over a week), and then headed home to get ready for a hockey game in Shreveport as celebration for their 27th anniversary. And D? He had helped with the step replacement and sanded and stained boards to put up in the spare room. I did very little - just made sure he was fed and did a little bit here and there in our bedroom. After an hour at the lake, we went to his parents...

Above: In case anyone was wondering how goofy my sweetie can get.... Haha! I love him. This week's midwife appointment was on Wednesday at our place. D managed to make it home in time to be here, which was unexpected and a great surprise. The place is still under construction, but she didn't seem to mind. The baby is slowing down its activity, but is still quite the active little thing. Braxton Hicks contractions have recently begun to become noticeable, as the midwife pointed out when she went to find the baby's heartbeat (I was apparently in the middle of one and didn't know; they've become more noticeable since then). I was also dilated 2 cm, and she says my hormones are working perfectly to prepare for this baby. That is very good news! Tuesday was Valentine's Day. But my beloved had been coming home from work every day this month with a treat, things like chocolate roses and cherry tootsie pops and little plastic tubes of M&Ms, Skittles, Reese...