Housewarming Open House

Welcome! Since you were not able to make it in person to our little soirée, please join me in a virtual tour of our new -and, for the most part, decorated- home! Now get yourself that cup of coffee I would have offered you and let's begin!
The entry is where any good tour starts. I mean, we wouldn't bring you through the garage or the back door, now would we?
You can check your lipstick or fix your hat hair as I hang up your jacket or put away your parasol in the entry closet.
You next view would be of the Donavan Covey room. Do you spy the gaudy "D C" in gold on the wall? They were on sale, so how could I resist?
The larger mirror (leaning on the wall by the china hutch) ended up too heavy to hang, so this little oval mirror will have to suffice. More wall hangings and decor to come, but for now I love my "pretty-pretty" room.
The chair I simply adore! I can't wait until you can see it -and sit in it- in person.
The living room follows as you walk through the open entry hall. How's that coffee, by the way? Need a top off?
Voila! Still no big screen TV, but the plants and case logics fill out the holes nicely for now.
Decorating this mantel was a challenge, but I am pleased with the cluttered and eclectic outcome. Again, it's much better in person.
Entrez-vous a la cuisine! That's completely wrong in French, but you're welcome to enter the kitchen, anyway. It's where Brian and I hang out most of the time, typing away on our laptops opposite each other on the fabulous counters.
I have a small plague which reads, "The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home." Too true, too true. And what a big heart we have! And more cupboard space than I know what to do with!
Passing back through the living room, we enter the guest bathroom. Here we begin our journey through the U.K.
Obviously, we're in Nodnol. I mean, London.
Unpack your bags and take a rest -you've arrived in your very own private quarters: The Heritage Room. Enjoy your stay!
And we'll always encourage you to rock out in your room, if that's your sort of thing.
Traveling up the staircase you enter the danger zone. Actually, it's my fun area where I can watch/listen to movies while I sew and make a glorious mess.
I knew you'd love this room, too! Still waiting to find the perfect rocking chair to go in this corner, so just imagine one there for now.
The cowboy curtains I made last week hang with the vintage "Alice in Wonderland" stained glass piece and the hand-sawed wood puzzles we got from out trip in Leavenworth, WA with my family sit on the sill.
The "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" tapestry which hung in my mother's room as a girl and my room growing up now is passed to the third generation, hanging above Wilder's crib. As you can see, the unifying theme is "Retro Kiddo."
Another peak at the living room from above as we walk back through the hallway (passing up Brian's office which is still being organized) and heading to the master bedroom.
Still the least completed room (as far as decorating goes) in the house, the master bedroom is spacious yet cozy.
I am SO thankful that I don't have to worry about tripping over anything or banging into corners of furniture as I make my midnight runs to the bathroom, unlike our other boudoirs.
Little Wiley will sleep in this lovely new bassinet/travel playpen after he first arrives and until he's on a stable sleep schedule and can move into his own room.

Well, that completes our grand tour, sparing you the stinky garage and Brian's work in progress (aka office.) How about a lovely slice of almond pound cake, or perhaps if you stay for dinner you can join us for shish-kabobs! Oh well, rain check?

Funny story: We had our first visitor today. The doorbell rang, I jumped out of my chair to answer and found who I believed to be one of our neighbors across the cul de sac. She was heavily ladened with a gigantic, beautiful basket of flowering houseplants. I thanked her profusely, but was confused by her simply dropping off this gorgeous offering of neighborly welcome and quickly departing. She pointed out that she thought the plants were potted individually and would need separate watering, plus there's a card in there somewhere. I thanked her again and she was off. Setting the basket down in our kitchen, I realized she was not our neighbor and the flowers were from Brian's parents. Well, I should have invited the flower lady in anyway and given her a tour. I'm sure she couldn't be that busy on a Saturday for a bite to eat and a gander at our house. It rendered quite a laugh from both Brian and I at my confusion, particularly my abundant and warm thanks I kept giving her. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for the beautiful flowers!

Name This Site!

Friends, I need your help. I think you'll agree this website needs a new domain name -one a lot less wordy than "www.muffinpatton.blogspot.com."

What originally began as a baby site has evolved into my personal and expressionistic webpage documenting family and life. I intend to keep this "virtual column" updated with posting as our/my journey continues. Now I just need a new name. Any ideas?

Blue News

Now that he has a permanent home in the 4th Infantry Division (4th ID) at Fort Hood Brian has released me to share he is slated to deploy to Iraq mid-December.

A few weeks ago I waited for Brian to come home and share what division he was assigned to. All day long I anxiously awaited the news. For some reason I even got more dolled up than usual, carefully styled my hair and applied my make up. I suppose I wanted to look good for such significant news, good or bad. Near 5 o'clock he rolled into the driveway and began unloading a slew of goodies he found at an antique shop on the way home.
"Look, honey! I got you and Wilder a vintage rocking chair! And I bought this neat radio -look, it works! And I got this..." His excitement overflowed with his new finds while I tried my darnedest to contain what I had been sweating all day long: will Brian be attached to a currently deploying unit? Finally he brought the last item in. As he barely finished his last sentence I took him by the shoulders, squared him to me and asked, "So, who are you connected to?"

"Oh," his excitement immediately deflated, "that's the bad news. I was hoping to distract you with all the new stuff I got. I didn't want to come home right away to tell you the bad news, so I puttered around at that antique shop." You see, just the day before some desk jockey joe read his orders and said, "Hey, 4th ID." Brian asked him if he was sure and the joe said, "Yeah, 1st ID. Like I said." Obviously confused, Brian had hoped he read the paper correctly the second time. 1st ID wasn't slated to deploy any time soon, whereas 4th ID was. Still, he didn't put too much weight on what the soldier said.

Brian continued, "I'm with 4th ID."
"And when are they scheduled to deploy?"
"December."
I was in shock. You know how sometimes you smile and laugh at terrible news? Well, that's just what I did. Then I cried. It seemed too bizarre -impossible- that he could be leaving so soon. We would have had 1 year and two weeks together after a 1 1/2 year absence, only to have him gone for another 12-15 months. My main thought was, "How can this happen? The baby will barely be one month old. I will still be adjusting to an erratic sleep and feeding schedule, stressed out as can be with my role as a new mother, and on top of that you'll be leaving?! For A YEAR?!"

You see, in order not to scare me Brian had told me his best case scenario as my worst case scenario: He may be deployed around June or something, but he was hoping to get attached to a unit that was still building strength and had no orders yet. Secretly he was afraid of the very real possibility that he would be attached to a unit which had already deployed and he would have only a month in Texas before getting shipped out. So getting deployed in December was a plus in his mind -three more months together- whereas it was absolutely devastating to me. I had no idea he could be sent away that soon. For some reason I thought he had said he had at least 6 months in Texas before they could send him anywhere.

Crushed, I lead Brian to the staircase of our big, empty house to sit as we talked. I just needed him to hold me as we worked through the initial shock.
"If I had taken the time, I could have figured out who I was attached to by reading the code on my orders when I got them in July, but I was afraid it would be bad news and thought we'd just wait until I reported to Fort Hood to find out. I didn't want our whole summer to be doom and gloom -and I don't want the next three months to be, either." He was right, the death sentence (as we call it) would have completely tainted our summer, our fabulous road trip, the joy of house hunting, etc. "I want us to keep having as much fun together as we have this whole past year."

And we have had so much fun. We have had a tremendous year together. Every day I think how happy and blessed I am -I can hardly write a new post without sharing with great exuberance that I am the luckiest girl alive. So before you cry in your coffee for me, let me share some pluses of this deployment.
1) Brian will not miss Wilder's second year. This was of great concern to me when Brian re-enlisted. I didn't want him (nor did he) to miss the fun of first words and greater interaction and memory building with our son. Wilder will be, at most, 16 months old when Daddy returns. Hey, last deployment Brian left me with a puppy and got to miss out on the joys of potty training and Savannah's chewing destruction. This time he'll miss out on more sleepless nights and all that fabulous crying! Still, I'd rather have a newborn to care for than be shipped off to Iraq, so I'm not complaining. We both have our own sets of challenges.

2) We are in a fabulous position here in Georgetown. Remember how everything all fell together for us? We found our new home and were moved in within one month. We got a family car that I love. We're in a fabulous neighborhood and wonderful community. We have family nearby. And on top of that, we have already met some lovely young couples (with and without children) that live nearby and we believe we've found our new church home. Things have worked out so beautifully and we've been provided for so completely, it is obvious God had a plan for us and has continued to take care of us so very well.

3) Deployments are easier with children. It is a general consensus among Army wives that those with children do much better than those without. You have somebody to care for, to distract you, to keep you company and to keep you responsible for taking care of yourself (and them, of course, too.) So now I'll have my two furry buddies, Savannah and Smoke, and our bouncing baby boy.

So there are some positive things about this deployment. I still allow myself to feel what I need to feel in regards to the anguish of being separated from the man I love and the very real danger he will be in on a daily basis. There aren't too many vehicles that are as protective as the Strykers he was in last time and now he'll be in a Bradley (like a tank) that is 20+ years old. As usual, I try not to think about what he faces daily out there and, instead, focus on how he just has to come back to us in the end since we have built too beautiful of a life together for it to stop now. That's the hope and promise I cling to. Plus, that Brian is so darn good at his job and will always take care of himself.

Now I begin to make my list of "Things to Accomplish This Year." It is the best way I've found to actually get excited about Brian deploying. Last time I made a wonderful list of goals and things to try, only to get through about 1/8th of them. Still, it is a great distraction and encourages personal growth in a time when idleness and depression can swallow you whole. If we cease to challenge ourselves, we cease to truly live.

So, my friends, this is not the best news in the world -far from the joyous reports that have tripped from my finger tips to your computer screens in past weeks- but it shall not be devastating. I continually live in hope and anticipation for great things to continue in our future. Somehow we will make this year+ away outstanding, and you can bet I will still be faithfully documenting and sharing our journey along the way.

Corn and Potato Chowder -cheap and easy

Munching on a bowl as I type out this very recipe, I have got to share with you the down and dirty on making a terrific bowl of homemade vegetable chowder. True to my style, this is an eye-ball recipe made up on the fly, but anyone can make this chowder in a flash if you do the following:

Corn and Potato Chowder

2 med./large cooking potatoes, diced
1/2 med./ large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 c frozen corn
1/4 c butter
milk, (around 4 cups, give or take)
garlic, powder or crushed fresh; salt; ground black pepper; cayenne pepper to taste
3/4 c shredded mozzarella, optional

Boil your diced potatoes until cooked through, but not mushy. Drain, place 2/3rds of cooked potatoes in a blender and add enough milk to make a paste -not thick as mashed potatoes, but not too runny.

Melt your butter in your pot, add diced onions. After a few minutes, add celery and cover pot to soften veggies. After a few more minutes, add frozen corn and stir around for a bit.

Add your blended potato-milk base to the pot and dump in the remaining diced potatoes. Add enough milk to make it soupy, but not watery. You are aiming for a thick chowder, not a cream of potato soup.

Now it's time to season! Remember, potatoes absorb salt, so it takes quite a bit to make this dish far from bland. The peppers really spice it up and I highly recommend trying at least 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of cayenne. It's not too hot and helps eliminate "boring" as a descriptor for this chowder.

If you and your clan like a little cheese, add the mozzarella just before serving. I recommend wheat rolls and a dinner salad to complete the meal. Serves 4-6 (two couples or six ladies or children.) And if you never know what to have for lunch, like I do, this makes a wonderful dish to keep away from your husband and all for yourself and will make many satisfying bowls for lunch.

On Decorating, Dining and New Perspectives

Welcome to our home! Granted, we are not finished decorating, haven't hung and single picture, and are still missing a few furniture items to complete our ideal set up, but we're unpacked and settled! And that, my friends, is monumental in this past two months of being transient. We are finally where we set out to be: Home.
So here's our living room. We decided against our original plan of having a custom mirror placed in the built in frame above the fireplace. The first quote we got was, well, $1500 short or what it would really cost so we're going to hang our trusty koi picture instead. We're deciding on what kind of area rug to get to tie the room together. Personally I think a circular rug would be nice. We'll see what we find!
We purchased an antique buffet for our entertainment system. It fits perfectly in the large alcove under the television and adds a warmer touch than the metal and black stand we had before (which is now upstairs.) I know, a rather odd choice, but it fits with us! Now all Brian has to do is get a bigger tv -this one looks sadly small in the gigantic space, though we've been very happy with it as we christened our set up last week with, of course, "Die Hard."
Viola! The dining area! Another rug mission to be accomplished, we'll get something easy to clean to go under the dining table. I'm thinking Ikea may have what we're looking for...
And the kitchen. Just LOVE those corian counter tops! Those of you who know me well are aware that I'm not a clean freak. I'm not an all out slob, either, but when it comes to housework and my kitchen, clean is a very relative term. Yet somehow owning a home (at least the initial feeling that comes with ownership) instills such a pride in one's house that I have found myself a la Cinderella and Mary Poppins -whistling while I work and having a grand time taking care of my home. I believe I've disinfected the counters three times already. Watch out!
A glimpse of the Heritage Room (aka guest quarters.) We found this beautiful headboard, as well as the mattress set, for absolute steals! The guest room will definitely look better than our own bedroom, that is once it's all put together. Still a few missing pieces and parts, but on the whole it's shaping up quite nicely. The quilt was handmade for me by my late Grandma Lee after I graduated from high school. I've spent many hours trying to decide which star is my favorite and still haven't chosen one. The sweet rocker in the corner was picked up at an antique store in Salado, 20 minutes north of us. It was one of the four chairs we accumulated before our household goods arrived. It's very comfy and simply adorable!
The Donavan Covey Room. As you can tell, matching wood is not top on our list of priorities. Finding amazing deals, however, is. The roll top desk and chair, the china hutch, the conversational couch, the elaborate mirror, the glass topped coffee table -nearly everything in this room was a bargain we happened upon at antique stores or on craigslist.
This wingback chair was an absolute must-have when I saw it at Georgetown's Rough and Ready Antiques for $89. Originally we were going to have it reupholstered, but after painting this room it matched too perfectly to spend four time the amount we bought it for to have it recovered. So, with an accent pillow, we made this old piece new! I'm simply itching to get things hung on the walls, but Brian left his tools at his folks house. I think this weekend I can safely bet I'll be pacified with a hammer and nails.
Heading upstairs, this is the open area (not yet finished or completely furnished) that will eventually be the kid playroom. For now, it's my book and craft room. Not pictured (behind me) is a folding table with my sewing machine set up, ready to make curtains for Wilder's room. I have a wild hair to make a quilt to match, but I'm trying to know my limitations. Still, with Brian back to work now I have to fill my days somehow, so why not be my ambitious self and make an uncomplicated block quilt? I'll keep you posted on my progress.
What you are witnessing is organization in process. The crib is lined with Wilder's clothes in order of size, waiting to be placed in the appropriate tubs for use in months ahead. These Babar pictures were a wonderful find at St. Vincent de Paul's, a thrift store in Austin. All said and done, after some minor repairs, the set was just $40. One was sold for $5 at the thrift store because the glass was broken, which I replaced for just $16 at Hobby Lobby yesterday. I didn't realize how inexpensive it can be if you're smart with your framing!
Brian set up the crib a few nights ago and it nearly did him in. Actually, he nearly did the crib in. We purchased it through craigslist from a woman who had it for two years (one of those years it was in storage.) It was in great shape and appeared simple enough to put together, though she mentioned she had replaced the release latches on the front side of the crib. It was a monumental feat putting this puppy together. However, here it stands, solid as a rock (though I think Brian would still like to beat it with a rock...)
This picture simply does not do justice to Brian's office. It is incredible! I have often stared and heaved a long sigh on envy, but then skipped downstairs and sat in my pretty-pretty room and enjoyed my idea of peace and elegance (so, no, I'm not jealous. But I love his style!) Once again, I can't wait to see all the pictures up on the walls!

The master bedroom is a big yawn and the closet is the only disaster left in the house, so I refrained for taking photos of either. I have taken two baths already in our large, lovely tub (last night it was bubbles galore!) and I love the roomy shower with the built in bench. It's SO much easier to shave your legs with you have a prop up. This belly is really starting to get in the way.

Speaking of the belly, I had my first visit with my new OB/GYN this week and absolutely love her! I am SO HAPPY! My next appointment is in two weeks and I'll have an ultrasound -she routinely does 36 week ultrasounds to get an idea of how big baby will be, which means.... another picture! Wilder is doing wonderfully and remains an active little man. It may be my imagination, but we're beginning to interact! When he's awake and I'm sitting down, he appears to respond when I gently rub my tummy and talk or sing to him. Well, regardless if he's responding to me or not, we're bonding and that's very precious to me. As is Brian's regard for my growing girth. I was so worried in the early months that my increasing size would diminish Brian's attraction. Makes sense -he married a skinny girl and now I'm becoming a very round woman. Quite the contrary now, he is so attached to my curves he's anxious to get Patton #2 on the way so he has more of me to cuddle. I am so very thankful he loves me either and any way.
I am beginning to focus on healthier eating choices and gearing up for postpartum exercise. The year before pregnancy I was, agreeably, too skinny and ultra conscious of what I ate to an unhealthy extent. Afraid of "starving the baby," I swung the other way and ate, basically, whatever I wanted during pregnancy. If I was to do it again, I would have stuck with moderate choices in eating and not been so afraid that exercise would cause a miscarriage or harm me or the baby. You learn the first time around. So now, with the end in sight, I am going back to my usual healthy options and starting to steer away from the Good Ship Lollipop, ladened with my sweet tooth's delights. And, for the record, it's been over two weeks since we last ate out -that's MONUMENTAL for us! Dining out was necessary while we traveled, but even back in Anchorage we ate out at least twice a week. For some reason I have always equated eating out to being a valuable individual: I'm worth dropping $20-40 dollars on for a meal. Restaurants were always a treat growing up and it meant the world to me when we'd go out to our favorite Chinese restaurant or get a treat of frozen yogurt at TCBY. Becoming an adult I had this crazy notion that I can eat out whenever I want because I'm worth it. Now, how silly is that?! Wasting our money because now we can. We've eaten better at home the past two weeks than the whole two months of us dining out, and it has been very satisfying. And now that we have a home, we don't want to escape to a restaurant, we want to enjoy our new digs -eating at a real dining table! OUR dining table in OUR home. It's a wonderful feeling.

As we nestle in our new nest we continue to be exceedingly thankful for where we are in our lives and all of the blessing I can't seem to stop talking about. With 41 days until Wilder's due date, I am beginning to anxiously prepare for his arrival both physically and mentally. Reading up on labor from every book I can get my hands on as well as early baby care, I have spent most of my time equally divided between unpacking boxes and packing my brain with very necessary information. Every time I begin to worry about what life will be like as a mother, I remember that this baby is mine, the result of uniting Brian -my heart's desire- and myself and multiplying the love that we have -and I feel an instant, warm wave of joy and thankfulness. Here's to the coming joy and all that we have already received!

I'm All Hooked Up -Uh Huh-huh!

Thank you, Mr. Internet Man, for getting us connected to the web! Phew, I have felt like a Quaker the past week without internet. It's amazing how much we rely on this marvelous invention in our daily lives, though it's been proven that we can survive without it and have half a dozen extra hours on our hands.
Here's a little brief update, pictorially speaking, of what's been going on the past week.
Tuesday, September 4th, marked our first official day in the house. Brian returned from the great paper shuffle at Ft. Hood early afternoon and we proceeded to settle in with our truck-load of belongings.
We made an evening run to the Super Walmart to pick up the bare necessities -those simple bare necessities- such as an air mattress, bedding, a single set of dishes for each of us, etc. We had no idea how soon our household items would be available to move in (though we certainly didn't anticipate being in our house for 10 days before delivery, but we've managed.)
I, of course, had to continue documenting belly growth for posterity -and it gave me something to do while waiting for Brian to come home. This also marked the day of "The Great Grocery Run" where I loaded my cart with needed items to stock our new fridge and monstrous pantry. I could hardly wheel the cart around by the end and nearly sat flat on the floor while waiting in line to check out, my feet were so tired. I'm astounded at the amount of rest I require and how easily pooped out I get at 33 weeks pregnant. I know I have technically seven weeks remaining until the due date, but I am beginning to rejoice every morning when I wake up, thinking, "One more day down! We made it -just another day to knock out and I'll be one day closer to blast off."

Along with the sore footsies and general fatigue, I'm turning awful cranky. I know this is partly because I have little to do, which will hopefully change this Friday when all of our stuff comes and I'll be busy unpacking and creating new homes for our belongings. Brian has been painting up a storm since Monday and I've been hanging out reading, napping, cleaning my belly button, you name it. Frankly I'm sick of painting and I haven't even lifted a brush. Poor Brian! He's currently coating his office in a khaki color that looks fabulous. Here, take a peak at the three rooms he's already finished!
This is the "Donavan Covey" room. What looked like a warm beige on the color sample turned out to be a vibrant dark peachy-tan. It was a tad shocking the next day in morning light, but over the past few days we've grown to love it. I wanted something warm, inviting and inspiring and that's just what I got.
"The Heritage Room" is the guest quarters. The inspiration was a Scottish theme integrating our family history -past and present. Here we plan to share some of the beautiful pictures we've taken on our Alaskan hikes, our drive down through the lower 48, our clan histories and other artwork I've collected on my U.K. adventures. We promise a comfy, interesting and very functional area to escape to when you come and visit!
Okay, you'll get to see the true final result of Wilder's room when we complete it as a nursery, but for now this little glimpse will have to suffice. Admittedly the lighting is awful in this photo taken at night, but this room is FANTASTIC! We turned the idea of an accent wall around: The wall with the window remains the original almond color that is throughout the house and the surrounding three walls are a stunning turquoise-sky blue. Really it's like a vintage sky blue. It looks wonderful will all the artwork, toys and various decor we've already collected and I couldn't be more pleased. The color makes me squeal with delight!
We went to the monthly Saturday Market in Georgetown and found just one block barricaded off next to the courthouse. LOTS of handmade jewelry booths, I'd venture to say at least 1/3 of the vendors, and some funny crippy-crap (no offense if you had a booth there.) One vendor sold carved cactus characters in pots, one sold emu oil -toted as being great for stretch marks and baby's skin when the man saw I was pregnant, hand-sewn sun hats, homemade journals, a little bit of everything you don't need. I may do better selling at some of the local stores than setting up shop once a month with the same old (and I do mean old) characters coming by, browsing the merchandise for deals at the market. We'll see... It's an option and options are always good!

So hopefully with the delivery of our household goods my stir-crazy crankies will subside and then I'll just moan about how tired I am of putting things away. Hey, if it's not one thing, it's another -right?!

Actually, this is simply character building. Am I just going to sit around and piddle my time away, or am I going to find something productive to do, even though it's technically "work" (which is something I try as hard as can be to avoid.)? I've mapped out and shopped for this weeks dinner menus from Monday through Saturday, so I'm set there. (I really am thrilled to share with you some of the menus I've made -it has been the greatest source of satisfaction for me this past month!) I've made some jewelry -should do more. I've started writing the "Hi, we've moved!" letters -yours in the mail soon! I'm taking walks and starting up my pregnancy yoga again. Hm... I know! I will go around the house and pre-organize the available shelving like I meant to do earlier! Thank you for the inspiration! Sometimes you just need to talk things out.

Until next post!

Moving In

We've been in our new home -our empty new home- since Tuesday afternoon and are loving it! Every day as we sit on our big, empty floors we think, "I can't believe we own this! This is OUR HOUSE!! HOORAY!!!" Our household goods arrive this coming Friday, as does our internet service (which we've been without since Tuesday.) Brian was given ten days off starting Monday so we'll have this week to paint whatever rooms we'd like, move our furniture in, then have an additional week to unpack everything. The timing has been impeccable.

Thursday I began implementing my dinner menu planning. I mapped out meals through Sunday, bought only what I needed to make them, and we've been enjoying home cooking and great savings for a whole two days! It feels so good not thinking about "what should we have for dinner?" as the evening approaches. I have got to say, dinner salads are a saving grace. When our evening runs a bit longer than expected and dinner is still cooking, we have our salad early and it staves off the pregnancy hunger monster that dwells within me. Brian and I both appreciate my horns not showing. Last night was baked BBQ chicken -with a twist: Combine mayo with the BBQ sauce to cut the acidity and create a creamy topping to bake your chicken in. The result is delicious -just remember to keep your dish covered so the chicken doesn't turn as dry as an Arizona summer.

I'm loving my new car! It's so darn zippy, easy to park, manageable in every way and super cute. Brian loves all the gadgets inside -the cubbies and compartments, the tuner and volume control on the steering wheel, and of course the moon roof. We just feel so cool in our Mom Mobile. And it does have a name: Goldie Honda.

So come Friday we should be operational -unpacking and connected to the world wide web! Stay tuned for lots of new pictures and views of the new paint jobs. I think you'll love it...

New Poll!

Don't forget to vote! A new poll is posted where you can choose which sport you believe Wilder will play when he gets to be a big fella.

The last poll, "What color should we paint Wilder's room" ended with the most votes for cream walls with one accent wall. We are still deciding on colors, but will show pictures as soon as we've got the project done and the nursery set up. Oh, I feel that nesting instinct coming on!

Everything New

New house...

New car...
New baby...

New town, new company and unit for Brian, new everything. I suppose in this time of massive change we should be feeling overwhelmed, but thankfully we're not. Each new transition has come on it's own time line and we've been able to deal with them one by one. Getting settled in the house, picking out paint colors and talking about DIY projects have been the most stressful, but after a deep breath joy takes over and I'm content with the tremendous blessings we've already and continue to receive.

I am waiting for the phone call from our realtor telling us we've funding this morning and he's ready to meet and hand over our keys. Brian reported at 6am for his first day back at work, though this week will mainly be inprocessing. Sometime before Friday we anticipate knowing what unit he is assigned to. Right now two companies are scheduled to deploy -one in October and one in December/January. The other infantry company he could be assigned to does not have orders to deploy yet and are still in their "rebuilding" stage. That is the good news. The worrying bit is this new unit being formed isn't sure it's staying at Ft. Hood. Brian and I aren't ones to fret about what we can't control when it comes to the military and we know that what God has so clearly provided for us here will not become null and void. The good and perfect plan which has always unfolded before us will continue to do so, so family, don't worry. We'll keep you posted.

I am overwhelmed with thankfulness and I wouldn't wish to be anyone else, anywhere else. I have a fabulous husband and a tremendously fulfilling marriage. I have a dream home, a new family car, the easiest pregnancy in the world, a healthy baby, and a wonderful town to raise our new family in. What could I possibly lack that is worthwhile? Nothing. This has been a year of dreams come true and I feel I am the luckiest, most blessed girl in the world.

As corn ball and overused as it is, I truly mean thank you for all of your love and support, your listening ears and advice as we've journeyed here. I could not have gotten through many of the things the past three years without your help, your shoulders, your hugs, and your love -no matter the physical distance between us. Now we are in Canaan, the promised land of our lives, and the milk and honey truly overflows. Thank you, and thank God for all that we have received.