Wherever You Are

(37wks with Caroline --- 29wks with Amelia)

I wanted you more

than you ever will know,

so I sent love to follow

wherever you go.

(Amelia ------  Caroline)

It’s high as you wish it.  It’s quick as an elf.  You’ll never outgrow it…it stretches itself!

So climb any mountain…

Climb up to the sky!

My love will find you.

My love can fly!

Make a big splash!  Go out on a limb!

My love will find you.  My love can swim!

It never gets lost, never fades, never ends…

if you’re working…

or playing…

 

or sitting with friends.

You can dance ‘til you’re dizzy…

paint ‘til you’re blue…

There’s no place, not one,

that my love can’t find you.

And if someday you’re lonely,

or someday you’re sad,

or you strike out at baseball,

or think you’ve been bad…

just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair.

That’s me my sweet baby, my love is right there.

In the green of the grass…in the smell of the sea…in the clouds floating by…at the top of a tree…in the sound crickets make at the end of the day…

 

“You are loved.  You are loved.  You are loved,” they all say.

My love is so high, and so wide, and so deep, it’s always right there, even when you’re asleep.

So hold your head high

and don’t be afraid

to march to the front

of your own parade.

If you’re still my small babe

or you’re all the way grown,

my promise to you

is you’re never alone.

You are my angel, my darling, my star…and my love will find you, wherever you are.

“Wherever You Are – my love will find you” by Nancy Tillman

I read this book to Caroline every night before bed.  I rarely ever leave the room without tears in my eyes.  I am so blessed to be their mother.

My Big Fat Confession

I have a confession.  I have a serious problem.  It’s probably something that everyone has struggled with at some point.  I’m rarely ever content.  That’s such a difficult confession.  There are so many “mom bloggers” that I follow that are just so….content.  They’re perfectly happy with every aspect of their lives.  Or at least that’s how it seems.  I’m sure they have a stretch mark or dimple booty or something small they would change…but overall…they’re content. 

I had a meltdown Saturday.  My poor husband didn’t know what to do with me.  Let me explain how this went.  Amelia didn’t sleep well the night before and I was tired.  Caroline had a cold was sickly all day Friday.  It is no secret in this house that Judd has to work on Saturdays.  It’s just how it is.  It’s the life of a farmer…and his family.  Why I lost my mind over this fact is simple.  I woke up tired, and a million “little things” went wrong.  I smashed my finger, I stubbed my toe, I was tired, I was hungry, etc. etc.  The list could go on for hours.  All of this led to me getting on the computer to play on Facebook for a few minutes in silence.  My newsfeed was FULL of people talking about their super fun Memorial Day plans, boat rides on the lake, family events, reunions, and 4 days weekends.  Memorial Day weekend is like any other weekend to us…the rice and soybeans don’t stop growing just because of a holiday.  There were a bajillion pictures of people out at the pool, going on vacation to the beach, going to do this and that.  And I got jealous.  There, I said it.  I was so jealous of their family time and…I’ll say it…their vacations.  Their week long vacations away from their houses and familiar towns.  I wanted it.  I still do, honestly.  But we farm, so December is our month for a vacation.  Please don’t take this as something you need to say, “Oh I’m so sorry – I can’t imagine…blah blah blah.”  It’s okay.  I knew that this was what life was going to be like before we got married – I guess I just didn’t realize what an adjustment it would be for ME and NOT for Judd.  He grew up with this.  His Daddy always worked on Saturdays.  Mine didn’t.  We took a vacation almost every summer to an amusement park or wherever and just spent time as a family.  He did that in December – along with everything else. 

I say all of that not so you’ll pity me and my lifestyle.  There are definitely perks to my lifestyle – I can’t lie.  There are wonderful things about farming.  Judd gets the entire month of December off work.  But trying to fit an entire year’s worth of events into one jam packed month is difficult.  December now holds our anniversary, Amelia’s birthday, other family birthdays, and the obvious one – Christmas.  (We won’t even mention the crazy amount of duck hunting Judd does in December!)  But either way, we do enjoy our time together in December!  One of the real perks of farming is that Judd loves his job.  He TRULY loves what he does.  I would never want him to dislike the job he had to go to 6-7 days a week!

I’m working really hard on being content.  I want to be content with our lifestyle.  I want to take the good with the bad and just DEAL with it…but it’s so hard.  It’s so hard to hear about all the fun vacations people are taking.  It’s hard to read statuses on FB about everyone being excited about it being Saturday.  Saturday is just another work day here.  I’m praying really hard for the Lord to help me change my heart.  I have more blessings than I can count.  My kids are healthy.  That is such an amazing blessing – and I thank the Lord for that every single day.  I have an A-MAZING family – on both sides.  I have a husband who does major strenuous manual labor all day long for our family.  He works his tush off, folks.  Seriously.  He shovels, he rides extremely bumpy tractors, he builds things…this list could truly go on forever.  I’m so thankful for him.  I get to stay home with my babies.  That is so important to me.  I love being with them and watching them grow.  I love seeing each milestone and knowing that I’m the one with them all day.  I couldn’t be more appreciative of that fact…or I probably could…and should be.  The blessings list could far outweigh the negatives in my life!  (Sing it with me folks, “count your blessings, name them one by one…and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!)

Just typing those good things out has made me realize how good I really have it.  It stinks that Judd has to work so much the majority of the year – but I truly believe if I’ll change my heart to be more content with my situation, I will be happier with where we are and not constantly wanting.

Someone else HAS to be feeling this way about something (it doesn’t have to be about work!) and I hope that we can pray for each other!  I need prayers to change my heart.  I want to be one of those bloggers that is so happy with life that it encourages YOU to be more happy with yours.  I’d love to pray for you and have your prayers in return!  That’s what we’re here for, right?    My heart is racing over putting this confession out on the world wide web, but I need to! 

I know most of you probably didn’t care to read all of this and probably didn’t make it past the first pity-party-paragraph, and that’s okay.  Writing this post was mainly for myself.  It’s part of the self-betterment goal I’m going for.    I ordered a book recommended by a friend called “Calm my Anxious Heart:  A woman’s guide to finding contentment” by Linda Dillow.  I’m going to read it and I’ll do my best to let you know how it turns out. 

If you’re feeling this way about something (or anything that you’d like prayers for!) leave a comment.  We will pray for each other!  It takes only a few seconds to leave a comment – and the prayers you will receive could change your heart…and your life if you allow it!  Thank you for your prayers! 

Yummy Meatloaf Recipe!

As much as I’d love to take credit for this entire recipe, I cannot.  I used The Pioneer Woman’s recipe but just tweaked a couple things. 

 

What you’ll need for the Meatloaf:

1. 6 slices of bread
2. 1 cup milk
3. 2ish lbs of ground beef
4. 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
5. 1/4 tsp Season Salt
6. 3/4 tsp Salt
7. Black Pepper
8. 1/3 cup minced Parsley
9. 4 eggs
10. Bacon

 

She called for white bread, but wheat was all we had, so I went with it!  You can also use plain crackers if you’d rather.  Pour 1 cup of milk over the 6 slices of bread in a bowl.  Yuck.  Mushy bread.  I know.  Leave it to get soggy.  Double yuck.

Get your ingredients together to mix with the ground beef.

Take four eggs and beat them.

Mix the dry ingredients (Parmesan, salts, pepper, parsley, etc.)  Even though your bread is soggy mush at this point, mix it in, too.  Break it into small cubes and mix with your beef.

Pour the eggs over the mixture.  Dig your hands in and mix it all up.  Really get your hands mushy.

Place the beef mixture into a pan and form into a loaf.  Obviously.

*Ahem*  PW calls for a broiler pan, which I do not own.  We like to soak our food in fat and grease because it makes it taste better and we want to die from heart attacks – but if you’d like the fat to drain off, use a broiler pan lined with aluminum foil.  Carry on. 

Now take a yummy package of bacon….

And place it in strips over your meatloaf.  Tuck the edges in on the sides.

 

Now for the sauce.  You will need:

1. 1 1/2 cups Ketchup
2. 1/3 cup brown sugar
3. 1 tsp dry mustard
4. Tabasco to taste.

Mix all of this together. 

Pour 2/3 of the mixture on top of your meatloaf.  Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 min.  Then, pour the rest of the sauce over the meatloaf and cook another 15min. 

Deliciousness. 

I will say – WHEN I make this recipe again, I’m going to try it with a tomato sauce instead of the sauce she suggested.  It definitely had more of a ketchup flavor than I would have liked.  Overall, it was really good!!  My favorite part?  It had ingredients in it that I already had in my house.  I don’t like recipes that call for 500 ingredients I’ve never heard of! 

Giveaway Winner!!

The winner has been chosen!  As explained in the video, there were some people who didn't quite understand how to do multiple entries so instead of using a random number generator, we used the old fashioned method of paper slips and a cup!  If you had multiple entries, your name was in the cup multiple times!  :)  

Congratulations to the winner!  We will be emailing you to discuss what you would like!  Feel free to take a look at Squiggle Stitch FB page to pick out your applique and decide if you want a jumper or jon jon.  

Thank you to EVERYONE for participating!  Go to to www.squigglestitch.com and receive 15% off your order using code THANKS15 - Please note, this coupon code only applies to those who entered the contest!  It is for Squiggle Stitch items, only.  It cannot be used for boutique clothing, blankets, etc. 

Be sure to follow the blog for more giveaways!!

Giveaway Time!

Okay, today’s giveaway is actually a collaboration!  I’m teaming up to a super sweet lady named Debbie, who owns Debbie’s Designs.  Here are some of the CUTE things she has made…

Boy’s Jon Jon with an applique patch by Squiggle Stitch…

Adorable girl’s jumper with owl applique & monogram by Squiggle Stitch…

SUPER CUTE peasant dress with matching raggy ruffles!

Look at the attention to detail with the perfect covered buttons!  I’m telling you – adorable!

Precious ruffle neck dress and a hairbow to match!

She also makes hairbows!!  Check out this picture of Caroline in her korker bow from Debbie’s Designs…

Okay – so now you’re ready to find out about the giveaway, huh?  Well here it is!  The winner will have their choice of one boy’s jon jon or girl’s jumper dress (the first two pictured outfits above) from Debbie’s Designs with their choice of applique & monogram by Squiggle Stitch!

Please make sure you “like” the correct “Debbie’s Designs” on Facebook.  There are more than one to choose from!  To make it easy, just click the link here or anywhere else that reads “Debbie’s Designs” in this blog post. 

Follow my directions very carefully!  You can earn extra entries to increase your odds of winning!

First thing is first – you MUST like Debbie’s Designs on Facebook & like Squiggle Stitch on Facebook!  This was originally a Facebook giveaway, but due to FB’s rule changes, we’re hosting it on the blog.  Like both of our pages for ONE entry.  Come back here and leave a comment telling me you’ve done it.  You cannot enter the giveaway without liking both pages!  C’mon…we’re not asking much!

To earn a 2nd entry – use your blog to make a post about this giveaway!  You can grab my blog button on the right hand column and put it in your post if you’d like!  Come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it and put the link to your post in the comment to verify.

To earn a 3rd entry – make a Facebook status about the giveaway and tag Debbie’s Designs & Squiggle Stitch in the post.  You do this by adding the ‘@’ symbol before you type out the name.  Then, come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it.

To earn a 4th entry – Make a tweet on Twitter about the giveaway and LINK to this post!  Then, come back here and leave me a comment telling me you’ve done it and put a link to your tweet in the comment to verify.

READ THIS PART VERY, VERY CAREFULLY to make sure you get all the entries you deserve:

Put a SEPARATE comment for each thing you do that gets you an entry.  For example:  if you like the two pages and make a FB status about the giveaway, comment two different times to let me know that you’ve done these things.  It’s easier to pick a winner with a number generator when each entry is separated in the comments section.  Please do this to make sure you get the credit you deserve! 

So there you go!  Do all four things to increase your odds!  The giveaway winner will be chosen on Friday, May 27, 2011. 

Be sure to leave your email address in at least one comment so we can contact you when it’s over if you’re the winner! 

Please note:  Debbie will give you your fabric choices for your outfit when the winner is chosen!