Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year

Happy 2013 crafty friends!  Oh 2012 has been like a whirlwind...don't even know how to describe it!  Things were going as usual till May and then this little peanut showed up:


It was just so unexpected.  We had tried for 6 years and MANY fertility treatments over the years and nothing worked.  I'm now 36 weeks and 2 days.  Here's one of my preggo pictures:



Amelia Grace is due on January 27th, but I'm doubting I'll make it that long.  Here's the story of my pregnancy.....MORNING SICKNESS.  My weight dropped to double digits, couldn't keep anything down, IVF's were the story of my life.  That cleared by September - 20 to 24 weeks of constant sickness and not eating - and the heart palpitations started.  After trips to the ER, heart monitor, and heart medication that cleared up (caused by the increased blood volume due to pregnancy).  The last month has been complete bed rest.  The original reason was because I wasn't gaining enough weight and my OB/GYN wants me to get every calorie I can and make sure I don't burn off any weight.  Then 2 weeks ago I start contracting and go into preterm labor - was on a magnesium drip that was TERRIBLE (if anyone has been on the stuff - they know).  Miss Amelia was determined to be early and my contractions were 1 minute apart.  Finally got enough medication to knock the contractions, but now I have to take meds every 4 hours to keep from going into labor and can only go to the bathroom and back.  God says he won't put more on us than we can handle and I truly believe that with all my heart, but these 9 months have definitely tested me.  It will be so worth it when I see Amelia and despite all the health scares I am still so thankful that God has given me these experiences.  I think I was so focused on getting pregnant that I never considered it may be hard.  And I've had to eat crow.  When I heard a pregnant woman complain before I got pregnant I always thought "why are they complaining, I can't even get pregnant."  I now have EMPATHY!  Lesson learned.    Life is really amazing, just when you think you've got it figured out God throws you a curve ball and you've got to figure it out all over again. 

My craft life has been on hold for months and I have NO interest in reading - my 2 biggest loves.  I do want to share my favorite card from 2012....crafted earlier this year when I had no clue what was waiting around the corner:

 
 
The sentiment is so fitting for 2012 - I am truly counting my blessings!  Fingers crossed the craft bug will hit me again when my bundle of joy arrives.  Gotta scrapbook every moment of Amelia's life so I've got to get to work.  I have found a few new addictions, especially since I've been on bed rest.  I am so addicted to The Food Network and it's worse now than ever, can't get enough of it.  I LOVE The Pioneer Woman.  Been pouring over her cookbooks, website, and cooking show.  And last but not least, Pinterest.  Organizing my boards and finding great crafty ideas (that I have no interest in creating) has been something else to keep me busy. 
 
And who can forget "why" I'm the Country Scrapper....the farm:
 
 
Thank goodness for my Hubby and Father In-Law.  They have done a wonderful job tending to the sick, giving me updates, and being the best farm hands possible this year.  I have lost several dear chickens this year and a beloved goat, but gained many new chickens that spice up the barn yard.  We were blessed to have abundant gardens and hay crops despite the drought.  And we have a new pasture that Hubby and FIL fenced that give my horses, donkeys, and goats many more acres to roam and pick.  It's something they had wanted to do for years and finally got it done. 
 
So that was my year in review.  Hoping 2013 is full of blessings and love and many more stories from my slice of Heaven on a little farm in the Appalachian Mountains.  Plus a certain little girl should make everything more interesting this upcoming year! 


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Pretty In Pink

Hi all!  Thought I'd write a quick post and share pictures from my baby shower.  I'm now 32 weeks pregnant and things are moving along.  Only a few more weeks till we meet Miss Amelia Grace.  The theme for my baby shower was "pink" and tea party.  Have you looked at baby shower ideas on Pinterest???  Oh my, ideas galore.  My colors were candy pink and sage.  I got most all of my party supplies from Oriental Trading - who knew they had so much fun stuff. 

Here are a few pictures:

 
 
My cake was adorable and tasted wonderful! 
 
 
 
 
Hello Kitty Tea Party diaper cake. 
 
 
Tea Party decorations with marshmallows. 
 

 
 
A collage of the evening.  Amelia received enough clothes to dress an army!  She will be a stylish baby! 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

MIA

Hi crafty friends!  I'm alive!  I have been MIA for months and the worst blogger ever, but I do have a good excuse.  I'm now 28 weeks pregnant and life has been a roller coaster since the moment I had a positive pregnancy test. 

Summer has come and gone.  I was so sick with morning sickness that I didn't really care.  We've had so many chicks hatch - I can't even keep up with who belongs to who anymore.  We've also lost a few dear barn yard companions - my precious Squab and Big Red.


Here's a picture of the "boys" - my turkeys Ed and Eddy.  There's a fine balance between life and death on the farm.  It's impossible not to loose some of your favorite animals and believe me it's not easy.  But it's worth it for the moments of joy you have with your "barn yard friends".  We lost a goat earlier this week - Tiny.  He has always been one of my favorites.  It has took me 9 years to learn this, but it's finally possible for me to say "ok, we've done all we can" and know when to let an animal go.  To me,  giving an animal a dignified death and not letting it suffer is the biggest gift you can give.  Even though the animal is no longer there in body, it's memory lives on and we never forget what it gave us. 

Farm living is constant work.  For anyone who thinks they can buy a barn, get a few animals, and be done - they are VERY wrong.  That's the fun thing about living on a farm, the journey.  It's not the day the chickens hatch, or the horse is born, it's the journey you take with each animal. 

Hopefully I'll be back sooner, rather than later, to blog again.  I've not made a craft in months.  I do have my nursery finished.  Here's a picture of the nursery bedding I got from Pottery Barn Kids (this picture is from PBK, not took a picture of my nursery yet):


It's the "Haley" collection and just adorable.  Just the right balance of pink.  I'm afraid if I push the pink she will grow up and wear black 24/7.  We've also picked out a name, Amelia Grace.  My baby shower is in 2 weeks - the theme is vintage tea party.  Hopefully after I have the baby my crafty mojo will come back.  It has left the building for the time being!


Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Stamp School Release Day 3

Today's the big day!  Stamp School's release.  Would you like to see the new stamp sets available for August???  Take a look:



PERFECT additions to your stamp collection!  Birthday stamps are something you can never have enough of!  Now here is my final release card:


Hope you've enjoyed the past few days of Stamp School mania.  Visit the Stamp School website throughout the month to see tips and techniques and tons of inspiration.  Also visit the Stamp School Shop to purchase your own birthday fun!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Stamp School Release Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of Stamp School's sneak peeks.  We are focusing on birthdays this month.  Here is my card for day 2:


Gotta love the girly colors in this card.  I wanted it to be very feminine and fun.  Visit Stamp School for more details on our August release!  And tune in tomorrow for the stamp set reveal.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Stamp School Release Day 1

Hi all!  Well I'm sure you all think I've fell off the face of the earth!  I'll explain where I've been in a moment.  First I want to share a sneak peek of Stamp School's August release.  This month we are focusing on birthdays and Stamp School has created the most adorable stamps for the happy occasion.

Here's a little peek of the latest stamp and sentiment set:



Visit Stamp School for more details on this month's release.  You can also visit the Stamp School Shop at A Walk Down Memory Lane - where all the Stamp School products are available for purchase.

Now would you like to know what I have been up to???  Here's a hint:


It's a baby!  I am 14 weeks pregnant with our first baby.  We tried fertility treatments for years and nothing ever happened.  So naturally, we gave up and I got pregnant.  I have had TERRIBLE morning, evening, and nite sickness that has stole all of my crafty mojo.  Looks like creating is on hold till January 27th (my due date).

Tune in tomorrow for another post dedicated to sneak peeks!


Thursday, May 31, 2012

Stamp School Release Day 3

Hi all!  Welcome to Day 3 of the June Stamp School Release.  Today I wanted to focus on the theme of the month - weddings....


OK so I'm in love with this month's sentiments and wedding images!  My card stock, felt, and ink are all Pop Tone shades that can be found at the Stamp School Shop.  The dress image was so fun to color, much like playing with paper dolls!  

Visit the Stamp School Design Team blogs to see their projects for Day 3:


This month's release has been a blast!  Visit Stamp School to see the full stamp sets and find out how you can purchase!  Enjoy!!!



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