Nothing but excitement 'round these parts!

This trip had been planned for months. Babysitters lined up, assistance with transportation of my kiddos arranged, food bought, menus planned.

And then two hours before we were scheduled to leave, Autumn decides NOW is a good time to have her litter of kittens. Really, I'm glad it happened that way, otherwise I would have missed the whole thing and been sorely disappointed.

At noon, her water broke. I was so excited, I made Joe run and get Isabel from school so she could see the birth. This is the only litter we're letting Autumn have, so we had to get the most out of it as possible. Mamaw Kay and Mamaw Carol were here, as well as Joe and Gabe. Poor Autumn, I'm surprised she was still able to labor with all of us gathered around!

After climbing into my box springs (!) and having to be cut out, she finally settled into this cozy spot inside my bedframe.


Her first kitten was a dark striped boy, who Isabel named Casper. After watching two of the kittens being born, Gabe announced, "Oh, my stomach is hurting!". I was worried that the birth process was getting to be too much for him, when he said, "It's making my stomach hurt 'cause they're SO STINKING CUTE, Mom!". Love him...

None of us had ever witnessed a cat giving birth, so we were all enthralled. However, it was time to get going on our trip. When we left, there were four kittens. Isabel called me an hour later to announce the birth of the fifth (and final) kitten. I dreamt that night that Autumn kept dropping kittens throughout the entire house! I'm so relieved there are only five!

On to the rest of the weekend...

We had gorgeous autumn weather, high's in the low 60's, lows in the 40's, with yellow, orange and red leaves everywhere you looked. Couldn't have asked for more.

My brother-in-law, Paul, turned forty-four while we there, and we couldn't resist teasing him while we were at "Old Man's" cave on Saturday. He was a pretty good sport about it.

Pictures just don't even do it justice, but you can get the idea.

The views from inside of Rock House were amazing. I love these pics...

It was a peaceful weekend, full of quiet moments like this one:

But also filled with laughter, card games, hiking, (drinking) and eating. Lots of food. Some at restaurants, some cooked at the cabin. This delicious meal was prepared totally by the men, while Rhonda and I chilled out by the fire. Heavenly, I tell you.

Sunday, we hiked around our cabin and up to Rockbridge. While on the path to Rockbridge, we were able to see the zipliners careening through the woods. It looked amazing! We are SO coming back next year to do that!

Once the kitties are a little bigger, I'll post some more pics. If I can keep them safe from Gabe's VERY loving hands, that is...

I am back.

We had a great time, and I promise that a post chock-ful of pictures will follow.

However, right now I am standing knee-deep in the middle of laundry and dishes and baby kittens (five to be exact!), and it's gonna take at least another day to get out of this mess.

Thanks for your patience. Regular programming will resume in approximately 24 hours.

A Weekend Equation

What do you get when you add the scenery in Hocking Hills, Ohio...




throw in a cabin (a bit more modern and, well, insulated, than this one)...

mixed with a sister that you adore...

combined with (a lot of) alcoholic beverages, card games and maybe even some Pictionary?

Don't forget to add your sister's other (not necessarily better) half...

And whaddya get?

A weekend free of parental obligation (thanks to the mamaws in our lives!) but full of fun and great memories.

I'll share them with you upon our return!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, too!

Arachnids, go home!

Dear Miss Spider,

Please take your tea party elsewhere.

While Isabel and even Gabe enjoyed your books for awhile, and even your show, we do NOT like for you to bring your friends over to our humble abode.


Not every spider is as cute and friendly as you are.

And for some reason (the weather change, perhaps?), every spider in the midwestern region seems to think that our house is suddenly the place to be.

Don't get me wrong; I appreciate the hard work you all do in my garden, keeping the pesky bugs at bay. I enjoy looking at a beautiful web, admiring the talent it took to achieve that utter perfection.

What I DON'T enjoy is stumbling upon a hairy, eight-legged creature stealthily crawling on my wall or ceiling. Especially in my bedroom, or that of my kids. Do you not get the sense that you're unwelcome by the fearful shrieks or the shoes being thrown at your head?

Seriously, take a hint...

This house is closed to all arachnids for the season. Come back in March, and we'll talk.

Sincerely,

Miss Heather

Lucky Thirteen

Thirteen is not traditionally a lucky number.

We have no Room 13's anywhere in the hospital.

You will rarely find an elevator numbered 13 in any building.

It's the number of bad luck and witches and scary movies (Friday the 13th, anyone?).

This year, Joe and I are out to prove that number wrong!

Thirteen years ago today, at exactly 1:30pm, I became Mrs. Joe. And though we have been through our share of rough times, we are still going strong, relying on God and the support of our families to keep us heading in the right direction.

When I married Joe, we were 22 years old and full of confidence in ourselves, each other, and our marriage. Thirteen years, many jobs, homes, and three babies later...we realize that it's going to take more than ourselves to get us through. Thank God for His patience in letting us come to this realization on our own!

We have made so many great memories together...here are some of my favorites:

Christmas with our families. Joe fit right in with my family, and he loves my sisters' kids as much as I do.


My birthdays. Although Joe isn't the best at remembering a card, he does know how to make me feel special by dedicating a day to do whatever I want to for my birthday. Since it falls on October 29th, usually this involves a pumpkin patch or outdoor hike of some sort.


Joe grew up going to King's Island amusement park every summer, so it's old hat for him. But that doesn't stop him from sharing our excitement when the kids and I want to go.

Speaking of amusement parks, it was Joe's idea to take the whole family to Disney this year. We had the best vacation EVER, thanks to him, one we will always remember. (Another great thing about Joe: he totally supports my love of scrapbooking, as evidenced by his purchase of a Disney scrapbook just to hold our memories of this trip!)

Although it's hard to imagine now, there will be a day when the kids are grown and it's just Joe and me left at home. It is my fervent wish that when that day arrives, we will be able to have even more fun together than we do now.

Marriage takes a lot of effort, on both sides. In thirteen more years, the kids will be grown, and God willing, we will be right here, loving each other more every day.

Happy Anniversary, honey! I'm so looking forward to our Hocking Hills trip this weekend! I love you!

Run, girl, run!

I mentioned earlier in the summer that I would be part of the coaching team for Girls on the Run this fall.

We are three weeks in, and it's going remarkably well.

I love doing something with Isabel that the two of us love, and other than shopping, running is it!

This daughter of mine is nothing short of amazing! She and I have the same pace, which makes running together a great experience. And she has finally found a sport that she excels at...yay!

There are five other coaches on our team, and we get along amazingly well. I only knew two of the women before this; now we are well on our way to becoming friends. We have so much fun at the practices; it's hard to tell who likes GOTR better, the girls or us!

This is the Energy Award boa that we give one deserving girl at the end of each practice...I wanted a turn!

I am so proud of Isabel, and so excited to be a part of this experience with her. It's such a challenge as a mom to help each of your kids find their niche; I think this just may be one such niche for Isabel.

I'll be posting more about this after our 5K race in November...if you could leave a little comment for Isabel here, that would be great! She reads my blog all the time :)

You called me what?!

Being called creative is one of the best compliments anyone could ever give me, and a new blogger friend of mine has won my heart by doing just that.

Thanks, Jennifer! From one scrapbooker momma to another, I just love it!

Rules:

1-Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2-Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3-Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4-Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
5-Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6-Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7-Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated.

Okay, the first three are covered, onto number four. This might be difficult, 'cause y'all know I'm an open book. It is darn near impossible for me to keep quiet about anything...I'll give it a try, though.

1. Lately, I really enjoy going to the grocery store. Planning my menu for the week, clipping coupons and looking for good deals to make healthy meals for my family...it makes me feel so accomplished. (Clearly, this officially makes me a nerd!)

2. I must have a book to read, at all times. Even if I only have time to read one chapter a day, it makes me crazy when I am sans literature. The local librarians know me by name :)

3. The day has finally arrived when I can honestly say that I am DONE having babies. Having suffered from baby fever for most of my adult life, this is close to a miracle. Don't get me wrong; I still LOVE babies. I just don't want any more of my own. (Joe is breathing a huge sigh of relief right now, I am sure!)

4. Although I still suffer from SAHM-envy at times, I truly love my job. Working part-time night shift as a nursing supervisor, making sure that every patient in the hospital is being cared for and every staff member in the hospital is being able to provide the care they are trained for...I love this new phase of my nursing career. (And the money is an added bonus :)

5. I must have at least one cup of coffee a day. I am not a huge coffee snob, Folgers is fine. But it must be brewed, not instant, and I must have creamer of some sort (hazelnut is my fave). I will treat myself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks weekly from now until Thanksgiving, though.

6. My ultimate dream home is one that Joe and I build ourselves, on five acres of land, complete with a huge pole barn for him and a scrapbook room that opens up into my garden for me.

7. The one thing I dreamed of as a little girl was being a mom. I have no desires to climb the corporate ladder; I am living my dream, mothering my three babies the best way I know how, with God as my guide and my husband by my side. Does it get much better than that?

Now, on to the next rule. I am a rule follower most days, dontcha know?

My nominees for this award are:

* Suzann from The Olive Cottage. You wanna talk about creative, this girl has got it going on. We bonded over emails this past New Year's Eve, and someday we are going to meet IRL, I just know it!

* Rebecca from Knit by God's Hand. She has a such a heart for God and makes the most beautiful baby blankets you have ever seen. And she's practically my neighbor, living only one state away!

* Cara from Land of Bean. Head over to her blog right now and help vote her into winning a blog contest going on in her city. The stories of her little "bean", Sophie, will have you rolling!

* Jenny from Jenny and the Princess Peonies. She scrapbooks, refinishes furniture, decorates her home with flair. She is my idol. Seriously.

* Cammie from The House of No Sleep. Her stories about her epic goose battles are hilarious. And she scrapbooks, too! Oh, and she is a fellow Ohioan.

* Katy from What Katy Did. This Aussie friend of mine is the absolute best at sewing and screening. She has sent packages around the world to arrive at my doorstep, including the magical Sausage Dog that she made for Gabe. I can't wait 'til she has some babies of her own that I can spoil with some American goodies :)

* Lizzie from The Journey to the Hot Tub. Lizzy makes the best stick figure cartoons that I have ever seen. And even when life hands her lemons by the bushel, she can still manage to make us smile. I don't know how she does it.

Okey-dokey, there you have it. Go pay a visit to these folks; tell 'em Heather sent you!