Mama Behind the Designs

why hello!!

The blog is a bit dusty, but pull up a seat and poke around a bit. And when you're done, you can find me updating everyday on facebook! I would love to 'friend' ya!

And, while you're at it, PeaPod is also on facebook and we would be delighted for you to be a fan!

♥ heather

Breakfast with the girls

When we first moved to Burns from Waverly, I didn't know a soul. I'm not exactly the most extroverted person, so it was a few months before I made any true friends in this new town.
And actually, my husband made my first friend for me.
I was busy working getting ready for the Stationery Show and Lindsay had something at school so he went in my place. Or maybe it was right after the show...I dont know, can't remember. But anyways. He met Michelle. Now, she is a very extroverted person. That girl will make friends with the wall.
She invited us to girlscouts & the rest was history. I may have a love/hate relationship with girlscouts, but I do adore my friend!
Through her, I met some of my closest friends.

Sadly, Michelle is moving away soon. We will miss her so much!! :(
Burns will never be the same..

Look, the wind = fun, new hairstyles! Love it!

--h

Haircut & T-Ball

After months & months AND MONTHS of growing the boy's hair out...today, we got it cut. He wasn't letting me brush it in the morning and it looked, um, rough.
I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't just a bit sad about this. I mean, he rocked this longer hair and it was so totally cute. When it was brushed. Which was less & less lately.
So, I resigned my stance and gave in to peer pressure. Mainly from Jeff & Judy.

He still melts my heart though...

we were looking at caterpillars...

silly boy...

it was really windy!!

silly boys!!

so the girl didn't feel left out...

{got my hair cut too on friday...not a fan. but, it will grow out soon enough. i'll just take extra vitamins!}

..........................................................

Our life is consumed with soccer {which is ending next week!} and t-ball. We have a few games every week and we really enjoy them!
Cam is number 7...

going into dugout after coming home

in the field

again...

the girl

--h

North Carolina

That's where Jeff & I went this weekend. It wasn't a spur of the moment trip-we'd been planning it for several weeks. I had been planning on a version of this trip for a few months.
Ironically, 2009 has been the year of plans gone wrong. Eh, maybe not wrong as much as plans changing at a moment's notice.
Everytime I turned around, there was a proverbial curveball.
But now, finally, everything is falling into place. Or rather, has fell into place. Everything is exactly how it was meant to be and I am so happy {and grateful!} I rode it out to see where it was going. For the first time, in like ever, I went with the flow instead of forcing things that weren't right.

As of Saturday, I am officially co-owner of PeaPod. Not sole owner. And it feels so right & I am so excited! I have someone to lean on and help grow this baby that I created nearly 4 yrs ago.

I want to tell you more about her {like, the fact that she's a fun person who has hot fudge cakes from Shoneys for breakfast...right up my alley, yes?}, but, just hang on a few more minutes until we make the grand announcement. It's coming...soon!

--h

The BunnyFairy...or FairyBunny, whichever works for you

When Cam was 2 or so, he fell and hit his left front top tooth. The thing about this boy is he really needed to wear padding on a 24 hr basis. He began pulling on our coffee table to stand himself up at 6 months. I am not exaggerating at all. He had a bruise on his forehead on the same spot for 2 months straight trying to accomplish this. By 9 months, he was walking. Seriously walking. He amazes me daily.
When Cam was 3, he was dancing on a dining room chair while I swept the dining room. I was half laughing, and half telling him to get down, when he fell and got his pinky toe just right and SPLIT IT IN HALF. Literally, from top to bottom, I could pull it apart. That's my boy.
So anyways, I honestly do not remember what he hit it on, but we waited and waited for it to die. The tooth never died but it did turn a nice butter yellow. At one time, I wanted my living room painted the same yellow.
This yellow tooth bothered me more than it did Cam. Occasionally, he would mention it saying someone had asked him about it, but it never seemed to concern him.
In pictures, I would always try and edit it. Lame, I know.
He lost his right top tooth a few months ago. We were worried his left tooth would need to be pulled but then, finally, it became slightly loose. Two months ago. Holy crap. For two months, we would wiggle it and say 'maybe tomorrow'. We would plead with Cam 'Please just wiggle it for a few minutes today and see if it gets looser' 'Your sister would have had that tooth out weeks ago' {it's true, too. No loose tooth lasts in Lindsay's mouth longer than a week. She's on a mission when she has a loose tooth.} But nope, he would have none of it. When I brushed his teeth, he would wince when I brushed the yellow tooth. I resigned to the fact that at his highschool graduation, right before we take the family picture of him holding his diploma, I would wiggle his tooth and say 'eh, well, maybe tomorrow'.

Saturday, we got up early & went to Lindsay's soccer game {bless her heart, still ain't her thang}, then we had a birthday party to go to. It was at the same place we had Cam's at last year, an inflatable bounce house sort of place.
There's lots of jumping, and bouncing...and running. 1.5 hours of nonstop action for the kids. Bliss if you ask me.

So, we had our cake & fun, left to go home and we were hanging out at home when Cam comes to me FREAKING OUT. Because, OH MY GOD, where was his yellow tooth.
Yep, after all that time, the blasted thing fell out at the bouncy house. We think.
After all those months of waiting & pleading, we couldn't even get the satisfaction of seeing it once it was out. I know that sounds weird, but honestly, it must be a parent thing {a mama thing?}...to inspect things that come out of your child. And I was robbed.
And, oh yea, the boy was robbed out of his 4th tooth under the pillow experience. So, we improvised. We took a baggie, put some glitter in it with a note begging the tooth fairy's forgiveness, and put that under the pillow.
Turns out the tooth fairy has a big heart and of course paid her visit.
Since it was Easter Eve, we assume her and the big bunny had a nice laugh about Cam's yellow tooth.
I can only imagine how the conversation went.

The boy was super thrilled to receive a visit from two icons in one night & talks about it often. Even today, he says to me 'Remember the time the Easter Bunny AND the Tooth Fairy visited me on the same night?'
Ha. Yea, I think I do...refresh my memory though, it's kind of fuzzy...been awhile. You know, like 5 nights and all.

--h

Tornadoes are not good for your health

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=10183698

'.....There have been three major tornado outbreaks in recent years.

On April 7, 2006, a tornado tore through Goodlettsville, Gallatin and Hendersonville.  Nine people died as a result of that storm.

On February 5, 2008, the Super Tuesday tornadoes produced damaging storms in many parts of the state, destroying hundreds of homes and buildings.  A total of 31 people were killed.

Friday, two people, a mother and her nine-month-old daughter, were killed when an EF-4 tornado struck Murfreesboro.....'

I can distinctly remember that 'Super Tuesday'. It was later at night and THANK GOD Jeff was home. We got both kids out of bed {they were alseep, it was a school night afterall!} and we camped out in our master bedroom closet for hours. Well into the midnight hour. There was one point where they said a funnel was coming down the interstate by our house, and slightly on HWY 96. We live RIGHT OFF hwy 96 and we could hear the hail and winds. Jeff got on top both of the kids and we huddled together for about 15 minutes.
We had zero damage, other than a few scattered tree limbs, but my God we were both shaken up! It was one of those nights where you are scared to go to sleep.

This year, it seems everytime I turn around there is another watch.
Not good for the nerves I tell you.

The upside is we are clear for the rest of the week until Saturday. More severe weather predicted this weekend. Which wouldn't be a big deal because Jeff & I will be out of town, in North Carolina...for some very exciting news!. But my babies, they will be here. Thank goodness nana has a basement!! And she tends to be more paranoid than me...which is quite a feat.

Oh, I promised to tell you how the Easter Bunny met the Tooth Fairy. Next time.

--h

Dear Blog...it's me, Heather

Yea, Yea I know...it's just the week has been a busy one and this next week doesn't look any more promising.

First, for anyone that has heard about the tornadoes that hit TN, we are fine. There was one that actually went thru our county but it was NOTHING compared to the one that hit Murfreesboro.
Lindsay & I were at the movies, seeing the new Hannah Montana movie of course, when the severe weather made it's way thru our county. Anyone that knows my child knows she is seriously afraid of bad weather. We could hear the hail and wind/thunder outside during the movie...I patted her leg & told her 'wow, they sure did do awesome work with the sound effects on this movie...'. That seemed to pacify her.

The good news is we have more severe weather threats for tomorrow. Yayyyy.

..........

On Wednesday, I went to the Dr. to have my thyroid checked. I just haven't been feeling well. I don't know  how to describe it...I feel bad. Not sick. Just...not right. I'm tired, moody, foggy...I forget things all the time. And then my weight. Oh Dear God. Since January, I am up 6-8 lbs. Depends on the time and scale used. But the thing is, I eat okay {not perfect, but not like a pig either...I watch what I eat but not obsessive like}, I use my elliptical a few times a week. My biggest weakness are my diet pepsis. I probably need to cut back on them, I know that. I drink about 4-5/day. Ek.
I should also drink more water.
But, you would think I would at least be staying level with my weight and not going up right?
Sigh.
Anyways, so for awhile I have said 'Self, you need to get checked out.'. And then Jeff started in. He has a louder voice than me, so I made the appt.
I went to the dr on Wednesday. Generally, I really like my dr. He is a nice guy and the few times I have gone...you know for sickness...I have felt comfortable & at ease.
And, I did on Wed. too. Kind of.
I told him my 'symptoms' while he nodded, asked a few questions. And then I brought up my weight - how I can't lose.
He was like 'How many calories are you eating? How much, in minutes, are you exercising per day. No less than 6 days is desirable'.  When I told him I didn't count my calories, he tsk-tsk'ed me. I told him I only exercised 3 days or so per week and he frowned. And when I said there was no way I could commit to 6 days/week exercising, he 'bout fell out of his chair.
I just felt like he was calling me lazy. He gave me a whole lecture about how you will never succeed in losing weight unless you are obsessive. And I appreciate that, I really do. But my life doesn't have room for obsessive. And to be frank, I am not sure that I need to be. Don't get me wrong, I know I DO need to lose weight. But if my hormones, or thyroid, are off then it doesn't matter how obsessive I am, I will NOT succeed.
Also, I wasn't there because I was frustrated that I couldn't lose weight. I mean I am...kind of. But I was there because I feel bad. I feel off.

So, my blood work came back. My tsh level was 3.76. Old research suggests anything over 5 is bad. But, new research says anything over 3 combined with symptoms.
Turns out, my dr is old school.
So, what do I do. I feel like I would be cheating if I went to someone else and said 'hey look, I need something to be done'. But, I do. I really feel like something isn't right.
I am going to make an appt with my OB/GYN and see if there is maybe a hormonal imbalance {for what it's worth... I also don't exactly have a normal..um..yea, monthly--or in my case, like once every 6-8 wks} but I worry that if it is a hormonal thing I won't be able to treat it anyways. I am at an increased risk for blood clots, and correct me if I'm wrong, but hormones up those odds right? I would decline. Too fearful - hits too close to home.
Ho Hum...getting older sure is alot of work...

I can't wait until I turn 30 this year and suddenly get that thick skin where I don't care what anyone thinks about me...'til then, it's just me and my thin, flakey skin. Flakey as in DRY. Although, here lately, I have been kind of flakey too...
............

Quiet Easter here. Hope your day was just as lovely!
Here's a picture of the kids...from January 2006. I can not believe how little they were! And so flipping adorable. They melt my heart, those two. I wish I could turn back time and enjoy them again at this age...
This picture was taken moments after I got home from buying my second digital camera {Please excuse my unmade bed}. I thought it was so fancy that I could take the picture in b/w. Shudder. Never, ever take the picture in b/w. Seriously.

Rumor has it I am getting an upgrade in cameras for Mother's Day. Like, a serious upgrade. WOOHOO!!! Oh, the possibilities...

Up next, how the Easter Bunny met the Tooth Fairy. Stay tuned.

--h

April Fools, again?

Yea, no. Only in Tennessee do you see exciting weather like this. Not only are we going to be in the mid 70's today, but we also have some severe weather {read: Tornadoes...for the THIRD time this week} this afternoon. Then, tomorrow night--Monday--snow expected.
Crazy.

--h

Weekly Re-cap

Busy, busy week...

*Happy April Fool's Day! Oh wait, that was 3 days ago. Opps. Last week the kids talked about April Fool's Day and all the silly pranks they were going to pull. But then Tuesday came & went and not a word...my goofy kids forgot all about April Fool's Day! But not us. Oh no.
We started out the morning with a 'snow day'. Haha. And then, the night before, I had carefully mixed up their snacks. I took the doritos out of snack sized bag and replaced them with cheetos. I taped the bottom back up, discretely of course, and they were none the wiser. {I put the doritos in the cheetos bag}. Oh, & in each bag I slipped in a note that said 'Ha! April Fools! Love, Mama & Daddy.' Clever yes?
Well, I thought so.
*Thursday Jeff got his wisdom teeth removed. I was prepared for the worst but my God that man is amazing. He was up and about the next day as if nothing happened. Wisdom teeth, what wisdom teeth, he said. For the record, it is my plan to not be that amazing when I finally have mine removed later this year or early next year. I see my chance and I milk it...all I'm saying.
*Soccer Game this morning for the girl. She is uper talented at many things...soccer though, it ain't her thang.
*Watched 'Role Models' last night. Pretty funny.
*Going to see Monsters vs. Aliens tomorrow...let you know how that is.
*Watched E.R. series finale. I watched the show religiously for a long time and then, about 2 yrs ago, kind of didn't anymore. But, since this was the last year, I made a big effort to watch it again & I am glad I did! I will miss the show.
*Busy with work. Many new things on the horizon...excited to share but not just yet. Soon. But for the first time in a really long time, I am excited and confident about PeaPod. Thank you Lord!

I went through my albums and found this picture from a set taken 3 years ago this month. We had gone to the mountains {Gatlinburg} for a mini vacation. It was the first time we really enjoyed the kids on vacation, if that makes any sense. It's like, before we had kept going places with the kids saying 'Wow, that was stressful and sucked. Next time will be better' & that trip was the indefinite 'Next Time'. That trip was a blast...we connected as a family and just had so much fun. Lindsay was 6 and Cam was 3 - almost 4. Perhaps that is the perfect age to take kids on vacation?

Lindsay & Cam at the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN 4/2006

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and start of your week!

--h

The best policy...

It was report card day today! Of course my little brainiacs both got straight A's. You've met their mama right?

In addition to his report card, Cam got his Occupational Therapy report. The boy has a serious problem with fine motor skills...namely his pencil grip. I know that sounds so odd, but imagine holding your pencil with all four fingers wrapped around the pencil and the thumb under them. That's Cam. He's also a lefty, so double whammy.
His therapy began right before winter break. We had been pushing for it since the beginning of the school year and it took forever to get started. Technically, we began fighting for it last year in kindergarten but other than the fine motor skills, he had no other diagnosis. Sadly, my small town school couldn't accommodate the therapy without an 'official' diagnosis of some kind {other than poor fine motor skills}.
At this same time, we were dealing with ADHD. Boy, that was fun. And hard. If you ever want to feel like a failure as a parent, a child with ADHD will do that for you.
I don't really go into that much here, and it's not that I'm trying to hold back on you. But. It's complicated.

Anyways, here we are...an official diagnosis & occupational therapy.

With today's report card came his progress report. It gave me the giggles...probably for the rest of the week even.

'Just a little update to let you know how things are going. First of all, you should be very proud of your child. He is a joy to work with, his sense of humor is enlightening, but most of all, I love his honesty. I knew from the beginning it was going to be difficult to change the way Cameron holds his pencil. We've tried several different approaches, with strengthening and adaptation, all of which have been hard for him to accept. The funny thing and what I love about Cameron is, each time I introduce something new to him, I say something like "do you think we could try this". His very polite answer is usually "no, I'd rather not", or "no, I don't like to hold it this way". Most other kids would say sure Ms. Kelly, knowing full well they weren't even going to try. '

My son is his own person. Always has been. It's what I love most about him. He has the most determination I have ever seen in one little boy {as proved I think by the rock climbing...}. If he wants to do something, he will. And if he doesn't...well you might as well hang it up. The term 'pick your battles' is our family mantra.
He is brutally honest. Zero sugar coating. Unfortunately, with that, comes very little empathy {while on the other hand, Lindsay is full of empathy. Night & Day those two.} I always say he will break many hearts. The thing about Cam is that he is so darn cute; irresistibly cute. And I know the girls will flock to him. He exudes confidence. But in that 'I'm too clueless to notice' way. He has no idea. He tells you like he sees it & I'm not sure I've ever seen his feelings get hurt...things just roll right off him.
Obviously Cam's mantra is 'Honesty is the best policy'. That's right son. You make your mama so proud.

--h