They're Here!

Two bundles of joy were welcomed today! First my niece (3rd sister's) Maysen Blayne Williams was born this morning! She was 6 lbs. 4 oz. 20 inches, tiny little thing but has some chubby cheeks! I hate I`m not home to be there & see her. But I have been sent two pictures via text & she is so beautiful! I can`t wait to meet her!

The second bundle of joy........

It's here! UPS runs around 6 pm here, so I waited all day! I haven`t taken it off from around my neck! I think I`m in love <3

Miss Kitty my first model. As you can tell, we do not have kids yet (one is on the way). AND Matt is in the field all week. So please excuse the animal pictures!

Mr. Bama, he really isn`t suppose to be on the couch. But things happen like that when Daddy leaves : )

Miss Allie, she didn`t care for the camera too much. Plus she won`t ever stay still so she was the hardest to shoot!

 This is the dress I made this morning for Miss Maysen. I got the pattern from here. But when I was going to finish it, I left the laptop downstairs. So I just winged it, I think it turned out pretty cute.

 Here is another gift I made for Miss Maysen's room. I got the pattern from here. You put baking soda in it & hang it near the changing table to make the poop smell go away. It is suppose to have a button BUT I`m not that advance yet. I plan on sending a little "care package" tomorrow to the happy family.

From girly & pink to boyish & camo haha. That is my life now. Thank goodness I have 2 nieces I can do girl stuff for. But I`m not going to lie this camo onesie from Bass Pro with a shotgun shell on it is pretty cute! Parker is ready for hunting season! His dad approves appliques like this!

This is a pillow I made for Parker's nursery to go in the chair I`m putting in there. Again I got the pattern from here. Also again I started following their pattern but by the end I was winging it. The fabric & leather are samples from the interior designer I worked for. The back side is jean from a pair of Matt's old Wranglers. I didn`t know how sewing leather on my machine would go, but it worked out.

I`m so excited for tomorrow so I can try & shoot some photos outside. I just wish I had more subjects to take pictures of. I have been looking at the manual & all that fun stuff. I have a lot to learn but I`m looking forward to it.

Coming Home

Being an Army wife, I watch Army Wives on Lifetime (cliche I know!). One of the soldiers died on the last episode. While I watched I was balling my eyes out because 1. I`m pregnant 2. That was my biggest fear. It is weird to think that almost 2 years ago Matt left for Afghanistan & almost a year ago he returned. I missed him so much, he was always on my mind. And to be honest always in the back of my head was the thought he could never come home.

So this morning when he came in from PT, I went up to him & hugged him & started crying. Now my husband has learned that while I`m pregnant I just start crying for no reason. He is use to it but I told him I actually have a reason this time. I was thankful to the Lord that he made it through that year safely & that we will most likely never have to go through that again. It is so easy to take him for granted. My husband can be messy, he leaves a trail of clothes when he comes in, tracks in dirt, can`t seem to throw his dirty clothes in the hamper & all the other things husband do that annoy us wives. Some days he makes me want to scream, but last year at this time I would have gave anything to have him with me. It seems I so easily forget that time.

So next time he does one of those things I`ll smile & thank God I have him here to do those things. There is a lonely wife out there right now who would give anything to have her husband track in dirt. If you are interested in reading post from the time Matt was gone click on Deployment on the right side under Tags.

The day he left, pretty sure I have never cried that hard in my whole life.

When he came home for R & R, we had not seen each other in 9 months.

My favorite photo of us. One of the happiest days of my life.

The HAPPIEST day of my life, his deployment was OVER!!!

I prayed every night to God to please bring him home safe. God did just that, but not everyone is so lucky. Please remember the troops & their loved ones back home.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is a very exciting day for me, no it is not my birthday yet (17more days). I am ordering my camera today! I have been wanting a "real camera" for so long. I have researched, looked, & asked questioned for a while now. Matt & I decided that for my birthday present I would get a camera with a lens kit & an extra lens. I wanted to get it with enough time for me to learn all the ends & outs before Parker gets here. I`m not going to try to become a "professional". This is purely for me to capture all the moments of our little family. But I do want it to look like a professional took the photos!! I know I have a lot of learning a head of me but I`m super excited!

Here is the camera I`m getting, it is an Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi SLR. I`m getting the lens kit which comes with the 18-55mm lens.

This is the extra lens I`m also getting, it is the Canon 50mm f/1.8. I might not be able to use this one right away. But I wanted to get it so I can start slowly working into feeling comfortable using it.

I am ordering it this afternoon & I already can`t wait to get it! If any of yall are into photography & have any good websites or books that help/give tips please let me know.

Pregnancy Survey

Just got done walking. That is Bama down in the bottom.

How far along?: 26 weeks & 5 days
Total weight gain: 10 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight
How much does baby weigh?: I think websites say he should be near 2 lbs now
Maternity clothes?: I still wear normal shirts, just my jeans & some dresses are maternity.
Stretch marks?: Still none, but I keep doing body checks!
Sleep?: I actually having been sleeping better lately, it has been nice. Some nights I sleep 10 hours! I also have been napping a lot again.
Best moment this week?: Nothing special has happened but I do love just feeling his kicks!
Movement?: He moves 24/7 now!
Gender? a boy
Food cravings?: Candy, I haven`t gave into it yet. But I think I will do an Easter basket for me & Matt. That way I have an "excuse"!
Labor signs?: I pray that won`t happen until June!
Belly button in or out?: In, but it is very close to being out!
What I miss: Being comfortable. I pretty much am only comfortable when I`m home, wearing one of Matt's t-shirts & no bra haha. Sorry but it is the truth.
What I'm looking forward to: Two things. 1. Him, I want him to keep cooking but I`m so ready to meet him 2. a glass of wine!
Milestone: These are the last 2 weeks of the 2nd Trimester. I can`t believe we are near the end!

The Dumps....

I have been kind of down in the dumps this past week. I think it is because I`m so ready to be home. We are at 41 days today, which isn`t that much time. But I just want to be there so bad. Plus I start thinking about packing. When I think of the big picture I get really over whelmed. I know I shouldn`t do that but I guess I`m letting the devil tempt me. So I have decided for my verse this week to memorize Matthew 26:41. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak". Here are two photos of my progress.

          It doesn`t look like I have done much, but I really have! I am slowly working on the sewing room too.

Our dining room has turned into packing central.

We went yesterday to the doctor for my diabetes screening. I have always heard horror stories about the drink you have to drink. At the doctor I`m at now they have orange & fruit punch. I asked my doctor if she heard one was better & she said fruit punch. So when I went to drink it I`m braced myself for something gross.......it actually was really good! It tasted like the juice in the bottom of those Popsicles that come in a long skinny bag. The appointment was fast once I had my blood drawn, she measured me, we listened to his heart beat & we were out of there. I will go to the doctor one more time up here, April 19th! We also bought Parker's bedding. I went to order the bedding online from Pottery Barn Kids & the shipping was $21! No thanks! I knew we had a Pottery Barn Kids in Louisville so we ran in there before my appointment.

Here is the bumper.

Here is the quilt. They didn`t have the crib skirt in the store so they ordered it online for me & waved the shipping fee. I love the bedding, it makes me want to start working on his room now! But I gotta wait 41 days......hold on while I scroll up to read the verse again ; )

I`ll leave yall with this link to make this awesome fruit pizza! I only used strawberries because fruit costs a little too much for me.  I can only eat a tiny slice (the size of what is missing) cause it is very sweet. Just make sure you have a glass of milk near by!

I am going to post a pregnancy survey I swear! I just need to get my husband to take a photo of me to go along with it. My belly is quite round now!

The End

This past fall I started a little business called Branding Iron Boutique. I have had great success with my business. It was perfect this past year with me not working, being a stay at home wife. But I`m sad to say as of today I will be closing up shop. We are in the process of packing up our house, & there are many things I want to make for my little man before he gets here. After Parker is born I will be looking for full-time work. So with working full-time & being a mother & a wife, I`m afraid I will not have time. I want to say thank you to all my customers who supported me this past year. I`m so glad I could make something special for your little ones. If you are in need of work I can refer you to a friend of mine who has the same type of business. Here is a link to her website.

Thank you again everyone!

Antiques

The little town right out side the base has 2 good size antique stores. So I figured I would hit them up before we move. I was on the look out for something for Parker's nursery & a Ball Jar.

I had been looking online for a western coat rack to hang. But the ones I had looked at were around $40.....this one I got for $3.50! The booth I bought it from had a 50% off sale. I`m going for a vintage cowboy theme & this will be perfect!

I got this for $4.50. It will be cute with flowers in it or corks!

I haven`t posted in a couple days, not much is going on here. I`m still slowly packing. We are just counting down the days (I think we are at 46 today). My bible verse memorization is going great. I need to pick out my new one this weekend. I would love to hear yall's favorite verses, if you would like to comment! I plan on posting a new pregnancy survey tomorrow hopefully!

Packing.....Day 1

In 50 days we move home! So I figured I better start packing. I mean I am 6 & 1/2 months pregnant, I`m getting around a little slower these days. So before lunch I emptied out the kitchen of the items I do not use everyday. When I look at the photo below I can`t believe this much stuff is just for "occasions" or are used once in a blue moon. I am giving away 12 cups & some other items to Goodwill. I plan to do that while I shift through all of our junk. I have to remember I can`t take it to Heaven with me!

After I made this huge mess before lunch......I took a nap. Then Matt came home for lunch & I promised I would pack it all up.

Well this is what I have left of my mess. I think I made a good dent! I needed to get more boxes out of our shed but it was raining & 39 degrees & I honestly didn`t want to go out in it. After tomorrow it should be packed. My plan is to do alittle by little everyday. So by the time moving day comes it is all ready to go!

Here is a photo of Miss Kitty. She looks like a young cat but she is actually about 10 or 11 years old. She is a mini kitty who wears a tuxedo. I`m not worried about the dogs & Parker, I`m worried about the cat & Parker! Miss Kitty is by my side all day long & even sleeps right next to me every night. We will see I guess how she does with the transition. But I don`t think she will like that there is a new "baby" in town.

I memorized my first bible verse way faster then I thought I would (2 Timothy 1:7). So I guess I`ll lean a verse a week. My next is Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask & it will be given to you; seek & you will find; knock & the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; & to him who knocks the door will be opened." I like this one because I struggle with praying. Not that I don`t like it, I just have a hard time remembering to. I know that is horrible, but I always want to be honest about my walk with God. I feel like this will help me to remember to always go to God & not try to figure it out myself. My husband actually told me if I wanted he would help me with my praying. I almost cried in that moment. Right away I prayed to God thanking Him for Matt. He is really taking his role as spiritual leader in our family.

HaPPy BiRtHDaY

Yesterday was my husband's 24th Birthday. It is strange to think he was 18 when we started dating, I got him fresh out of high school ; ). I am 1 year & 11 months exactly older then Matt. In high school I always dated older guys & the thought of dating someone my age or younger was a no. But that was until my sophomore year of college, when I saw that boy sitting on the cooler at a bonfire. Even though Matt is younger, I have always looked up to him. He has always been mature for his age. I`m so lucky he is my husband & I hope I made his birthday special even though it was just us & the animals.

I got the sign from Vista Print.  I`m warning you about that website, my boss Shelly told me about it. I bought everything but the kitchen sink. It is VERY addicting & they always have some special going on that makes you think, "I need that!". I wrote his name & the numbers with a dry erase maker. The plan is I can use this for all birthdays in our home, but we will see how easily the marker comes off today when I take it down. I tied the bows on to make his chair the birthday chair haha he didn`t really care for that,

I woke up early (well I always do) cleaned the house & made him breakfast. Here  are the bacon & cheese biscuits I made, I got the recipe from here. They were good, I used Bisquick instead of making my own dough though. I got the Happy Birthday napkins from the Dollar store

This is what we did all morning. We have the whole couch, but they squeeze down on my end. We then went for a walk because the weather here right now is great! Then we got dressed & went to Elizabethtown.

I have been craving some wine, but being pregnant that is a no go. So I went for the next best thing, sparkling grape juice. But I guess they don`t sale the bottles of the sparkling grape juice year round, well at least our Wal-Mart didn`t have them. We found this instead, only 10 calories a can, which filled my whole wine glass. It was nice to "pretend" : )

While we were out we also went by Target & bought this. It is the Munchkin Steam Guard Microwave Sterilizer for bottles & breast pump accessories. Since we registered at Target we got a free gift card for $20, you had to go into the store to redeem it. So we bought something off our registry that I considered "not fun" for others to buy. Now I`m sure dishwashers can sterilizer bottles. But, brace yourself for this, the ranch house where we will be moving does not have a dishwasher. Yeah, horrible I know! I`m so bad about dishes & I have a dish washer now. I can`t imagine how it will be out there. I told Matt we are buying all paper products! So this will be perfect for living out there, because really when am I going to have time to boil water & do it that way?!

Matt requested baked Ziti for his birthday meal. I actually doubled the whole recipe BUT the pasta sauce & it turned out perfect. Well, at least Matt said it was perfect : ) We both LOVE Italian food!

For dessert I made the cookie brownies. I have made them before but I bought them separate. This time I bought the box that comes with both inside. I knew Matt would love these, he likes desserts he can just pick  up & eat. I heard him go in there twice after he had his first taste & steal some more : )

I added some of this on top in a bowl and....

HELLO calories! But it was soooo good. I actually like the cookie brownies even better the next day!

Here is a picture of Matt right after I sang him happy birthday. Getting him to smile is most likely just as hard as it is for some parents to get there kids to smile! I hate the picture is kinds blurry but he looks so nice smiling! I guess my singing is what made him laugh!

53 days...

This is the amount of days we have left before we move!

The devil & my hormones have been winning this whole week it seems. I`m either mad or sad or BOTH I swear. The enemy is really working hard on stressing me out, & sadly I have given in. I think I have cried everyday so far this week. My poor poor husband haha, I told him I`m sorry in advance & to watch out for me! I`m crazy right now! If I`m not worrying about one thing it is another. Which is the whole reason I`m memorizing that Bible verse right now! Plus I`m so uncomfortable & I know it is going to get worse! That is the reason I cried yesterday. As I said before I have a short torso, so the baby is all up on me. Adding being bloated & yes you want to cry! Below is a picture of another reason why I cried, our dishwasher.

If you look close at the dishwasher you see the standing water, which smells BAD! Matt was trying to un-clog it but no such luck. Thank goodness the maintenance people here on post are super fast so a guy came out & has already fixed it.

Since the smell makes my disposal stink too I picked up these little guys at Wal-Mart. Last time this happened (about 2 weeks ago) I used a real lemon. But the other day I saw these & thought I would give them a try. They do work very well. I walked in my house later that day & I could smell lemon right when I walked in.

I also bought 12 of these guys at Wal-Mart for $7.70. Matt & I both had been wanting some mason jars for cups but the ones with the handles were just too much for me. These are just perfect & fit our country theme of our house.

I also went to the Dollar store & bought these kitchen towels, $1 each (other is not pictured). I then put our monogram on them. I know for married couples we should put mBm (Matthew & Marian Brown). But we have the exact same initials so I figured it was fine : ) Which means no, I`m not legally M.L. I`m actually M.G. haha but I`ll always be M.L.

Ummmm.....does anyone elses sewing room look like this? I swear I pick it up once a week, & then I do a project & this is what it looks like! PLUS, it is where Matt puts all his Army stuff. You know when you are in the zone, fabric just starts flying everywhere haha. I have 2 more orders to punch out & then it is packing time. This will be the first room to be packed up for the move!

Weddings & Lent

We are back & I`m still catching up on sleep! As always our trip home was very eventful, non-stop from morning to night! But we both loved every minute of it! Also, as always, we did not want to leave.....at all! But as of today we are at 55 days till we move! The weather was great & the time spent with everyone was great. The first night there we stayed in Lake Wales. My oldest sister had everyone over to her house for dinner. The sisters were in the den & all the brother-in-laws were in the kitchen. Us girls were laughing because we swear the boys were louder then us.

Here is a shirtless Grady. Later in the night we got into a deep conversation with Grady haha He was asking Aunt Ambrey where the baby came from, who did it, & when she comes out if her hand would come out first haha We think he thinks the baby comes out of your belly button. It was too cute.

Here is Colton with his Laffy Taffy. I had to run to the store for Hayley & Colton wanted to come. We get to the aisle & he asks for some candy haha a 6 year old & a pregnant girl are not a good combo, of course I said YES!

Here is Miss Priss Finley. Hayley gave her a ponytail. I could just eat her up! She is a crazy lady and she loves her some Uncle Matt. I think it is because he gives her food!

Speaking of food Brannan (my 2nd oldest sister) brought these cupcakes for dessert. They are low calorie, 180 instead of the normal 250. They were very good for being "diet" cupcakes! I think they are a Taste of Homes recipe.

In this photo (L to R): Me, Matt, Jen (Bride/My college roommate), Kendal (Groom/Matt's childhood friend), Paige (9 months pregnant) & Case. Matt, Kendal, Case & Paige all grew up together in Lakeland. The 3 boys also went on to college together at Warner, & lived & played Baseball together. Jen & I were college roommates our freshmen year together at Warner. Matt & I started dating first, then I told Jen she should meet Matt's friend Kendal. They were a perfect match! They are both very strong Christians AND great friends to me & Matt. We have actually asked them to be Parker's God-Parents : )

Matt & I (& Parker) at Jen's & Kendal's reception, it was on Kendal's family's ranch. It was so stinking cute too! It was country chic!

Courtney, Jen & I, she looked so pretty!

Now on to wedding number 2, Matt's mother's! It was in Melbourne at a little chapel. Family & close friends were there as Matt walked his mother down the aisle. I`m so happy Marcia has found such a great man. She really deserved it!

Marcia & Bill after the wedding. We went out to eat at a "hole in the wall" seafood restaurant after the wedding. It was all very lovely and we got to see a lot of Matt's family.

As I said earlier it was all go, go, go, well at least for Matt. I got to hang back in LW an extra day to hang out with my Mom. But since Matt was in the wedding for our friends he was helping anything they needed. Really the first time he & I just got to hang out was Sunday morning, we went for a walk. But we were both very happy with our trip. This time I cried on the way back to LW after Matt's Mom's wedding. But as my husband reminded me, this is our last trip back up to Kentucky. The next time we come down it is for good! Right when we got off the plane Matt said, "the only thing that will make us feel better is to start packing tonight" haha

Lent starts today so this morning I had to make my final decision on what to do! I`m going with memorizing Bible verses. I don`t know how many I`m going to try to do, but I at least know my first one. My first to memorize is 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind". I was watching Beth Moore this morning & she was talking about this passage. I think it is a good one for me to know off the top of my head because I`m a worrier & I have a  lot of fear. This will remind me God has equipped me for other things in life!