I am still so excited about the great deal I got on Friday!! Travis went with me to a consignment sale in Huntsville with lots of maternity and baby/kid stuff. I was mainly looking for maternity clothes since we're not quite ready to buy baby clothes yet (sigh..). We got there right after the sale started, and I was the first one to hit the rack of maternity clothes! They had a lot of cute stuff for REALLY cheap prices!! I ended up with 2 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of dress pants, 1 jacket, 1 sweater, and 3 shirts all for $37.50!!!! We were both so excited. Of course, I couldn't try anything on while we were there, but I tried it all on at home, and everything fits! I love a good deal!!
Yay!!
It made me sick that we still don't know if Baby Grant is a boy or girl.....because they had a TON of cute baby clothes. Oh well. They will have another sale in mid-March, and it's already on my calendar! Can't wait for that!!
I'm 17 weeks today and feeling good! I think this baby must really be growing because my bump has really gotten bigger in the past few weeks. Supposedly, he or she is about 5 inches long and weighs about 5 oz. The Lovenox shots are still going well...no issues there. I had my 2nd trimester screening today. It was really quick (just a blood sample), so I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. The test screens for spina bifida, Down syndrome, and trisomy 18. We should find out the results in a few days.
17 weeks
Next Friday (which seems like forever away) is our appointment with my regular doctor. I feel like we've been waiting forever. I am seriously leaning toward just finding out the gender when we go rather than waiting to find out at a party, so we'll see how that goes :)
Apparently, not everyone in the Grant house is as excited about this baby as I am. And, no, I'm not talking about Travis...haha! I came home the other day to find this...
Is this a hint from Miss Gabby that she's not looking forward to this baby??? Who knows!!! She does like to be the center of attention, so it will be an adjustment for her :)
I won my first fantasy football game this year! Usually I start out with a loss, so this is a good sign. I'm still the only girl in the league, and I think it would be hilarious for the pregnant female to beat 11 guys and win the "championship". Of course, I'd get accused of cheating because I had "extra help" on my team :) Oh well...wish me luck!
The weather has been cooling off a little bit, so I took that as a good excuse to get out my fall decorations. I just love decorating! We don't have any outdoor decorations, but at least the inside of the house looks cute.
Now I just need some Halloween candy for the bowl on the foyer table :)
We've got several house projects to take care of in the next few weeks, including fixing a leaky toilet, hanging curtains in the guest bedroom, installing a new ceiling fan in our bedroom, and painting a nightstand. The fun never stops around here!!
In case you were wondering, I didn't completely forget what to do at work when I went back last week. 2 weeks is a long time to be gone, but luckily the rust came off pretty quickly once I got back into the swing of things. This week, I'm working 8 hours Thursday and 12 hours Friday, and that's it. Shouldn't be too bad! And, Travis actually has a 5 day work week this week. With so many holidays in the fall and our bed and breakfast trip, he's mostly had 4 day weeks since probably early October. It's been nice! He'll be taking off from our anniversary to January 2nd as well, so he's really looking forward to that.
We're almost through with our Christmas shopping already, which is probably a record! Usually, I'm always buying everything the week before Christmas. We've got to return one thing and get a few more things, and then we'll be finished I think. Everything we've bought is even wrapped and under the tree already. The kitties (and I) are loving it.
Did I mention last time how much they love the Christmas tree? I'm sure I did. They especially love the ornaments and bows on the presents. The first few days the tree was up, we kept finding ornaments on the floor that had been pulled down. Now, they've moved on to bows. If your present is missing its bow this year, you can thank Felix and Gabby. The bows aren't even sticky anymore they've been pulled off so many times! I may just have to tape them down. We like to leave the tree lights on all the time when we're home except when we're asleep, so we always turn them off when we're going to bed or about to leave the house. Well, yesterday morning we were getting ready for church, and I came out into the living room to find the tree lights on. I thought that was strange...Why would we turn the lights on when we're about to leave? So, I asked Travis why he'd turned the lights on. He looked at me funny and told me he didn't turn them on. Well, I know I didn't turn them on, and they were off a few minutes earlier that morning. Apparently, the kitties must have turned them on! The lights are plugged into a surge protector, and I guess they flipped the switch! If it happens again, we'll know they're doing it on purpose...what funny kitties!
Here are some pictures of our Christmas decorations so far...
Kitty stockings! Aren't they cute???
Our stockings from Target! (I haven't taken the tags off of anything on the mantle yet)
The mantle is tree and reindeer themed, I guess :)
I think I'm going to take the red tree back b/c it's a little too tall, but I really like everything else!
Is he cute or what?
Closeup
They LOVE that tree!
We still need to hang our wreath on the front door, and after that I think we'll be finished decorating for this year. We're going to wait and get outdoor decorations next year (can't spend all our money on this stuff!).
I need to give a fantasy football update since I haven't done that in a while. The season started off horribly, but I've made a miraculous comeback! 6 wins in a row! I'll finish the season with a winning record barely (7-6), and I think I'm actually going to make it into the playoffs. Never thought that would happen!!
Speaking of football, ROLL TIDE!!! We're going to the national championship again!! After Oklahoma State's big win Saturday night, I thought our chances were over, but I'm glad we're getting one more shot at LSU this season. Hopefully this game will end better than last time! I just checked Stubhub, and prices have come down a little bit. We could buy 2 tickets for a whopping $1375 a piece! No thanks! After buying a house and a car this year, we definitely don't need to be spending money like that. Anyone know of any cheaper tickets out there? We may end up just driving down there to see if we can find some, but we still haven't decided yet.
I've changed my blog layout quite a bit, and I'm not sure what I think about it yet. I'm missing the side columns that I used to have, and I kinda want those back. If you don't mind, give me your feedback on whether you like it better this way or not!
I think that's all for today, so I'll leave you with this thought...
Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...
~Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976
It's been a while! We had a pretty busy end to the month of October, so I'm hoping November will slow down a little bit. Somehow I don't think that will happen though!
We had a fun time at the Tennessee game a couple of weekends ago. We met up with Ashley and Seth for a little while, and then we headed to Jason's tailgate. We didn't get to see anybody when we were in town for the Kent State game, so we were glad to have some time to see our friends and walk around campus before the game.
Mikayla, Katie, Jason, Alisha, Tyler, me, and Travis before the game
Newlyweds!
:)
The game was fun...or, at least the 2nd half was! We sat in my parents' seats, which are in the north end zone on the right side. We were literally right across the aisle from the Tennessee band, so by the end of the game I was ready to never hear "Rocky Top" ever again. I wish I'd taken some ear plugs!! :)
Last week was a short work week before we headed to Hearthstone Lodge on Thursday to meet Ashley and Seth for a 2 night getaway. Hearthstone is the same bed and breakfast we went in August 2010, so we were very excited to go back. (You can read about our trip last year here). This year, everything was even more beautiful with the leaves changing outside and the cooler weather. The breakfast lived up to last year's, which was what I was looking forward to most!
Friday night, we ate supper at Charlie's, an Italian restaurant that we ate at last year. It was as good as we remembered!
Ashley and Seth after supper
Us
We had to get a picture in the big red chair!
The guys weren't as excited...haha
We stayed in the Jonagold room again this year, and we loved it. Next time we go back, we'll have to try out one of the other rooms though...
Our room for the weekend
After supper Friday night, we played Settlers of Catan for several hours and ended up staying up way too late! Travis won that game. Saturday, we ate a big breakfast and then played Settlers again for a while.
Yummy fruit!!
The main course...an omelet, sausage, potatoes, and bread
After breakfast!
View of part of the back porch
Ashley loves Lori, their dog!!
Hearthstone Lodge!
I loved all of the fall decorations...
Around early afternoon on Saturday, we headed to Blue Ridge, GA, where we rode the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway to the Tennessee state line. It was a great way to see some of the beautiful fall colors in north Georgia! It was kind of rainy off and on all day, so it kind of put a damper on the day, but we still had fun!
The train
The train went alongside the Tocoa River
Pretty!
We ended up in McCaysville, GA, which borders Coppertown, TN
We ate supper at Harvest on Main in Blue Ridge before heading back to the Lodge. And, that's rain...not snow!
Saturday's breakfast was even better than Friday's! We had fruit, bacon, and french toast croissants with apples and pecans. I ate every bit of it...it was amazing!! :)
YUMMMMMMM
After breakfast we played more Settlers (yes, we're nerds!) until it was time to leave. We headed to the Red Apple Barn to get some apples and peach cider before heading out of town.
I'm going to make apple pie later this week...can't wait!
On our way out of town, we got stopped on the highway by a bunch of horses and wagons. Not sure what that was about, but it was pretty funny!
Our trip was so much fun! We can't wait to go back hopefully sometime next year. I think it's going to be hard to find a better B&B than Hearthstone!!
This Saturday is the "Game of the Century"....Alabama vs. LSU. As of right now, our plans are just to stay home and watch it on TV. Don't want to pay $1000 for tickets! I'm planning to make gumbo (our tradition for the LSU game weekend), so hopefully it will turn out good. I'm pretty nervous about the game, but if we win, I'll feel a whole lot better about the rest of the season!
Speaking of football, fantasy football is not going so well this year. I'm 2-6, probably the worst I've ever done (including the first year I played when I had no idea what I was doing!). Maybe I'll win a few more before it ends...who knows!
Mom had her 5th chemo treatment on Monday. Only 3 more to go!! This time, she started a new chemo drug, so we'll have to see if it has any different side effects. Hopefully she'll stay out of the hospital this time around! The rest of the treatments will be 3 weeks apart instead of 2, so it'll be January before she's done with chemo. That's not too far around the corner though!! :)
The kitties are getting so big! Gabby is so funny....she loves to sleep on my stomach at night. It usually doesn't wake me up when she climbs on me, until she starts purring! She purrs so loud!! They were so glad to see us when we got home from the bed and breakfast on Saturday....they were meowing and following us all over the house. Even Felix was glad to be petted...haha.
Gabby ready for soup night
Gabby thinks she's a pantry staple :)
Felix loves House Hunters!
HGTV isn't just for girls!
Love my kittens!
Ok, I guess that's enough pictures for one post! On Emily's request though, here are a few funny videos from earlier this year. We were talking about them at lunch on Sunday, and I'd deleted them from my phone, but they were on my computer. The first is of Toby last Christmas when it snowed so much. The other videos are from the car ride home from Virginia with Tyler, Alisha, and Emily. There's nothing to "see" because it was dark in the car, but the singing is priceless! :)
Ok, I'm finished...I promise!! Watching those videos made my afternoon!! :)
It's been a great week so far! A lot of it I've spent on the road....going, going, going. Since my last post, I've been to Trussville, Tuscaloosa, back to Trussville, home for a few days, and back to Trussville again. Whew! The ol' Mazda will be up over 75,000 miles soon :)
Felix and Gabby are adjusting pretty well to us and our house. I can already tell they are fattening up, which is good! They were pretty bony when we got them a week and a half ago. They love the Purina Kitten Chow I've been feeding them! They love to play with their toys, especially the toy mice with long fuzzy tails and their yellow tennis balls. They also love to wrestle each other. Gabby usually wins! She's definitely the dominant kitty. Gabby almost always purrs when we walk into the room, and she's started following us all over the house. Last night, she jumped on the bed and climbed all over me until I started petting her. She's very sweet and friendly, and she loves to be petted and sit in my lap. Felix isn't warming up as quickly, but I think it will just take some time. He loves to be near Gabby and loves playing with her and chasing her. He just doesn't like to be petted or held very often. He's pretty adventurous too though! The other night I caught him in our closet sitting on top on Travis's hanging T-shirts...not sure how he was balancing up there! Felix and Gabby went to Trussville with us this past weekend, and they actually did very well on the car ride there and back. Felix was pretty scared on the way there for a little while, but eventually he cuddled up with Gabby and slept most of the way. They enjoyed playing on Callie's scratching post/cat house while they were there, although I don't know how Callie felt about that! Dad built them their very own deluxe scratching post though, and they have been having a big time with that since we got back home Saturday night. We've been letting them out of the bathroom a lot more since my last post, and we've even started leaving them out while we're gone. They haven't managed to destroy anything yet (that I know of), so I guess that's good! :)
Cat napping in their bed
Cuddling on the way to Trussville Friday night!
Aren't they so cute????
My dad is quite the handyman!
They love to climb!
Gabby likes to explore...even in the shower
Felix watching cautiously from under the bed
Felix decided to check it out for himself!
They move so fast!
Just a blur :)
Friday night, we headed to Trussville with the kittens, spent the night, and then went to Tuscaloosa Saturday morning for the first Alabama game of the season. We figured out that it was the 7th season opener in a row that we've been to, and 6 of them we've gone to together! Alabama football is definitely a common interest we share, and really just football in general. We sat in Mom and Dad's seats, and it was a lot of fun! Hopefully we'll get to go to a few more games this season...
About to score another touchdown!
After the game, we scooped the kitties up after a quick supper and headed back home. Monday was Labor Day and we both had the day off...hooray! We had our fantasy football draft that afternoon, and I think I got a pretty good team. I'm hoping to come in better than 4th place this year!
I worked my usual 11 AM to close shift yesterday and came to Trussville this morning. Mom had her 2nd chemo treatment yesterday, so I wanted to be here today and tomorrow on my days off. She's been feeling good today, and hopefully she'll have another good day tomorrow! I brought a bunch of frozen blueberries and peaches with me, so I'm going to make her a smoothie tomorrow. Cold/frozen foods tasted good to her last time around, so I hope she'll like the smoothie. We'll see how it turns out!
I'll be heading back home tomorrow night, working Friday, and then we're watching the Penn State game with Matt and Maggie at their house on Saturday. Should be another fun weekend!! :)
