February 15, 2012
February 13, 2012
Close to My Heart - Giveaway
"I am a stay at home mom with three kiddos. Our youngest, Easton, was diagnosed with a heart defect hours after his entrance into the world. God had paved a road for us before Easton was born, as I planned to quit teaching and stay home to raise our babies. Little did we know, we would have a baby that needed little exposure to others, and daycare would have been a scary place for his fragile heart. God knew.
Having a child with special needs comes with many more financial duties and bills. I decided that I could contribute from home by creating jewelry (one of my favorite things on the planet!) while taking care of my babies (my very favorite thing on the planet!)." -- Close to My Heart
This was written by my husband's cousin, Julie. I admire her passion to spread awareness congenital heart defects (CHD). A CHD is a problem with the structure of the heart. These structural defects can involve any part of the heart that can slow down, alter the direction, or completely block the bloodflow to the heart. As any amazing mother would, Julie spent her time taking care of her son and reaching out to others who were in similar situations. She created a business that aims in creating awareness about CHD and helping others. In addition,to selling jewelry, Julie posts facts about CHD on her Facebook page, Close to My Heart. For example, did you know that 1 in 100 babies are born with a heart defect, making it the number one birth defect? Here's what her business is all about:
"I sent a necklace to heart mom and when she got it she said it made her feel better knowing that her little angel was "close to her heart." I began making necklaces for other heart moms and sending them to them as a hug from another state or..., in some cases, another country. I have read so many stories of sadness, and loss and often wished that there was something I could do for these families. I found making a necklace and sending it to these mommies is healing for both of us. My sales go toward our little man's medical bills, but also allows me to send comfort to families of CHD angels and warriors."
You can send Julie any photo or graphic for your necklace. There are a variety of different necklace options to choose from, including a silver chain, ribbon, beads, etc. I like the safety closure and the stretchy option for the kiddos. To learn more about this amazing business, head over to Close to My Heart's Facebook page.
I wanted to help Julie spread the word about her mission and her business, and she was nice enough to offer one of her necklaces as a giveaway! One lucky reader will get a necklace of their choice!
To enter, all you need to do is head over to Facebook and "like" Close to My Heart. After you have done this, head back to my blog and leave me a comment telling me you have done so. Please make sure you leave your first name, the initial of your last name on Facebook, and an email for me to contact you.
It's that simple! The contest ends February 26th, 2012 at midnight. A winner will be chosen via random.org.
Thanks and good luck!!
Having a child with special needs comes with many more financial duties and bills. I decided that I could contribute from home by creating jewelry (one of my favorite things on the planet!) while taking care of my babies (my very favorite thing on the planet!)." -- Close to My Heart
This was written by my husband's cousin, Julie. I admire her passion to spread awareness congenital heart defects (CHD). A CHD is a problem with the structure of the heart. These structural defects can involve any part of the heart that can slow down, alter the direction, or completely block the bloodflow to the heart. As any amazing mother would, Julie spent her time taking care of her son and reaching out to others who were in similar situations. She created a business that aims in creating awareness about CHD and helping others. In addition,to selling jewelry, Julie posts facts about CHD on her Facebook page, Close to My Heart. For example, did you know that 1 in 100 babies are born with a heart defect, making it the number one birth defect? Here's what her business is all about:
"I sent a necklace to heart mom and when she got it she said it made her feel better knowing that her little angel was "close to her heart." I began making necklaces for other heart moms and sending them to them as a hug from another state or..., in some cases, another country. I have read so many stories of sadness, and loss and often wished that there was something I could do for these families. I found making a necklace and sending it to these mommies is healing for both of us. My sales go toward our little man's medical bills, but also allows me to send comfort to families of CHD angels and warriors."
Products for sale include custom made pendants. These are some of my favorites:
You can send Julie any photo or graphic for your necklace. There are a variety of different necklace options to choose from, including a silver chain, ribbon, beads, etc. I like the safety closure and the stretchy option for the kiddos. To learn more about this amazing business, head over to Close to My Heart's Facebook page.
I wanted to help Julie spread the word about her mission and her business, and she was nice enough to offer one of her necklaces as a giveaway! One lucky reader will get a necklace of their choice!
To enter, all you need to do is head over to Facebook and "like" Close to My Heart. After you have done this, head back to my blog and leave me a comment telling me you have done so. Please make sure you leave your first name, the initial of your last name on Facebook, and an email for me to contact you.
It's that simple! The contest ends February 26th, 2012 at midnight. A winner will be chosen via random.org.
Thanks and good luck!!
January 29, 2012
It's a long one.
Don't worry...you're not hallucinating. It's really a post. I really did write this time. ;o)
But be prepared that this is a long one.
So. Yeah. I can't believe I haven't posted since January 16th?!?! Wow. I suck at this blogging thing now. Things are slowly turning upwards, even though I know there's still so much more to do. I am enjoying Mondays as my Dissertation Day. This allows me to focus on nothing but dissertation crap. The Hubs is at school/work. Babygirl is at school. And I'm at home, slaving away on The Big D. It will get done. IHAVE NEED WILL graduate in May, dammit.
And while I'm taking a hit financially by working one less day at the clinic, I've found myself less stressed. (Not to say that I'm not still stressed to the max... that's another whole blog post.)
So what's Ardie life right now? Well... I'm hopefully finishing up Chapter 4 (of 5) of my dissertation soon. I'll need to write up Chapter 5, revise the first 3, and get approval from my dissertation chair. (That won't come without 48 new revised drafts, but that's a different story.) THEN, I have to send the final copy to the rest of my committee and schedule my defense. Then I'll have to fix anything they didn't like and send it to the graduate school. All by April 13th. Eeek! To everyone else, that seems light years away. But to me, it seems like tomorrow. ::sigh:: May cannot get here fast enough!
In other news, internship is going really well. I'm finally getting everything under control and feeling more confident about my skills. Both of my supervisors have said some great things about me, and I hope that translates into me getting a good job in August. We shall see...
The Hubs is working pretty darn hard too. We're hoping he can finish by August. He still needs to figure out his dissertation stuff, collect his data, and write it all up. There's supposedly going to be two full-time faculty positions for next year at the community college he's currently teaching at. Supposedly the dean has already told a few people that he wants The Hubs to be one of the new faculty members. Let's pray to God and hope that happens... because the Lord knows we need some real paychecks coming in around here!!! We are seriously going to be like a fat kid in a candy store when we both having full-time jobs that actually PAY something! HAHA!
And Babygirl. My goodness that child cracks us up everyday. She's insanely smart. Insanely clever. Insanely good at pushing our buttons. She melts my heart everyday. Take today, for example. We're all hanging out in the living room when Babygirl goes over to The Hubs, points to me, and says "That's my mommy." The Hubs then says, "That's right, honey. That's your mommy." And Babygirl proceeds to say, "Yeah. She's my friend." ::swoon::
She's got excellent manners. She knows all her letters, all her letter sounds, and tells exactly everything she sees when we are in the car. "Look, Mommy! There's an airplane. And there's two of them too!" (We live by the airport. It's not uncommon to see several plane in the sky.) "Look at all the trees, Mommy! They're beautiful." "Oooh, a motorcycle Daddy! A black one!"
In other news, we got an aquarium after Christmas. The Hubs apparently didn't have enough going on over the holiday break, so he became fixated on fish. And the man would not leave me alone until he got his fish. After a lot of research, and a lot of talking with various people, we ended up getting a 10-gallon tank, some live plants, and 2 guppies. We understood that these were our "starter fish" and that we had to begin the water cycling process to get our aquarium to where it needed to be. We understood that this process could take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks before we could get the rest of our fish. Well... fishie #1 died about a week later and fishie #2 died today. Apparently, this is completely normal and "this is why they are called starter fish." (Direct quote from the fish store guy). Well... that sucks. So now we have a 10-gallon tank full of water that is still not completely through the cycling process. And we're not getting any fish until the water/chemical levels stabilize.
Whatev.
Ummm.... what else? (Trying to think about what has happened over the past several months. Might as well try to write it up while I'm already blogging. Right?)
I can't think. So, there you have it. An update on us Ardies. Hope you got your fill because at the rate I'm at right now. I'm not sure when the next post will be. Stupid graduate school. You're getting in the way of my blogging life!
But be prepared that this is a long one.
So. Yeah. I can't believe I haven't posted since January 16th?!?! Wow. I suck at this blogging thing now. Things are slowly turning upwards, even though I know there's still so much more to do. I am enjoying Mondays as my Dissertation Day. This allows me to focus on nothing but dissertation crap. The Hubs is at school/work. Babygirl is at school. And I'm at home, slaving away on The Big D. It will get done. I
And while I'm taking a hit financially by working one less day at the clinic, I've found myself less stressed. (Not to say that I'm not still stressed to the max... that's another whole blog post.)
So what's Ardie life right now? Well... I'm hopefully finishing up Chapter 4 (of 5) of my dissertation soon. I'll need to write up Chapter 5, revise the first 3, and get approval from my dissertation chair. (That won't come without 48 new revised drafts, but that's a different story.) THEN, I have to send the final copy to the rest of my committee and schedule my defense. Then I'll have to fix anything they didn't like and send it to the graduate school. All by April 13th. Eeek! To everyone else, that seems light years away. But to me, it seems like tomorrow. ::sigh:: May cannot get here fast enough!
In other news, internship is going really well. I'm finally getting everything under control and feeling more confident about my skills. Both of my supervisors have said some great things about me, and I hope that translates into me getting a good job in August. We shall see...
The Hubs is working pretty darn hard too. We're hoping he can finish by August. He still needs to figure out his dissertation stuff, collect his data, and write it all up. There's supposedly going to be two full-time faculty positions for next year at the community college he's currently teaching at. Supposedly the dean has already told a few people that he wants The Hubs to be one of the new faculty members. Let's pray to God and hope that happens... because the Lord knows we need some real paychecks coming in around here!!! We are seriously going to be like a fat kid in a candy store when we both having full-time jobs that actually PAY something! HAHA!
And Babygirl. My goodness that child cracks us up everyday. She's insanely smart. Insanely clever. Insanely good at pushing our buttons. She melts my heart everyday. Take today, for example. We're all hanging out in the living room when Babygirl goes over to The Hubs, points to me, and says "That's my mommy." The Hubs then says, "That's right, honey. That's your mommy." And Babygirl proceeds to say, "Yeah. She's my friend." ::swoon::
She's got excellent manners. She knows all her letters, all her letter sounds, and tells exactly everything she sees when we are in the car. "Look, Mommy! There's an airplane. And there's two of them too!" (We live by the airport. It's not uncommon to see several plane in the sky.) "Look at all the trees, Mommy! They're beautiful." "Oooh, a motorcycle Daddy! A black one!"
In other news, we got an aquarium after Christmas. The Hubs apparently didn't have enough going on over the holiday break, so he became fixated on fish. And the man would not leave me alone until he got his fish. After a lot of research, and a lot of talking with various people, we ended up getting a 10-gallon tank, some live plants, and 2 guppies. We understood that these were our "starter fish" and that we had to begin the water cycling process to get our aquarium to where it needed to be. We understood that this process could take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks before we could get the rest of our fish. Well... fishie #1 died about a week later and fishie #2 died today. Apparently, this is completely normal and "this is why they are called starter fish." (Direct quote from the fish store guy). Well... that sucks. So now we have a 10-gallon tank full of water that is still not completely through the cycling process. And we're not getting any fish until the water/chemical levels stabilize.
Whatev.
Ummm.... what else? (Trying to think about what has happened over the past several months. Might as well try to write it up while I'm already blogging. Right?)
I can't think. So, there you have it. An update on us Ardies. Hope you got your fill because at the rate I'm at right now. I'm not sure when the next post will be. Stupid graduate school. You're getting in the way of my blogging life!
January 16, 2012
Christmas in Pictures...
...because uploading pictures from my phone requires less time than typing everything up. Plus... it seems to me that people like pictures more. This isn't all of our Christmas. This just happens to be what I caught on camera. I'll write-up a post someday.... Maybe... ;o)
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| Our Christmas decorations |
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| Santa came!! |
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| Someone got a BIG Jumbo. This needs a post by itself. Again, maybe someday... |
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| My in-laws beach house made the local magazine!! |
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| A vacation wouldn't be complete without some games, a margarita, and a sexy husband! |
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| Nor would it be complete without a visit to your in-laws' future grave site..... |
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| Nee Nee and Babygirl walking to the train |
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| On the train. (I love this picture!!) |
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| Daddy and Babygirl feeding the ducks after the train ride. |
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| Pedicures by Nee Nee |
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| Sunglasses? Check! Headband? Check! Hair bow? Check!! I'm stylin' today!! |
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| Cousin #1 with cheetos. |
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| Cousin #2 with cheetos. |
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| Cousin #3 with cheetos. |
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| Redneck fun. Notice my bro-in-law hosing down the roof. It's all about being proactive, my friends. :o) |
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| Someone learned how to drive over the holiday! Watch out!! |
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| Playing with another cousin!! |
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| Babygirl with her great aunt! |
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| (Back home). Someone got a scooter for Christmas. (Another gift not pictured: a tricyle) |
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| Could this little girl look any more excited?!?!?! |
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| Thank you! All Mommy wanted was a little excitment!! |
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| I'm a mess and I'm completely OK with that!! |
January 1, 2012
Another one bites the dust!
And another one down, and another one down, and another one bites the dust.
I can't believe 2011 is over. Hello 2012! I've been waiting for you since I started graduate school nearly 5 years ago. This is my year. This ishopefully going to be the year I get my Ph.D. So we'll see. Reality kicks back in tomorrow.
The past few weeks have been a blur. The holiday break at school began on the 19th, and I feel like I haven't had much of a break. I took this past week off from the clinic so we could go to Houston to visit The Hubs' side of the family the week between Christmas and New Years. We got back into town yesterday, only to leave 30 minutes later for a NYE party. Today was spent unpacking and psyching myself up for work again. Hello internship, report writing, and dissertation, we shall meet again!
And I have got to be the world's worst blogger. I need to blog about our Christmas, upload a bunch of pics, and catch my four readers up on our crazy Ardie life. I'll have time to do that soon, right?
I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and I wish each and everyone of you a Happy New Year. It's that lovely new year's resolution time. I just bought Just Dance 3 for the Wii, so I plan to dance my way into a healthier lifestyle. :o) We've got a fresh start guys! Let's make this year a good one!
I can't believe 2011 is over. Hello 2012! I've been waiting for you since I started graduate school nearly 5 years ago. This is my year. This is
The past few weeks have been a blur. The holiday break at school began on the 19th, and I feel like I haven't had much of a break. I took this past week off from the clinic so we could go to Houston to visit The Hubs' side of the family the week between Christmas and New Years. We got back into town yesterday, only to leave 30 minutes later for a NYE party. Today was spent unpacking and psyching myself up for work again. Hello internship, report writing, and dissertation, we shall meet again!
And I have got to be the world's worst blogger. I need to blog about our Christmas, upload a bunch of pics, and catch my four readers up on our crazy Ardie life. I'll have time to do that soon, right?
I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and I wish each and everyone of you a Happy New Year. It's that lovely new year's resolution time. I just bought Just Dance 3 for the Wii, so I plan to dance my way into a healthier lifestyle. :o) We've got a fresh start guys! Let's make this year a good one!
December 21, 2011
Wordless Wednesday - Not Blogger of the Year
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| AKA Worst Blogger Ever I'll blog regularly again someday. I promise! Photo Credit: Meg Tillman Photography |
December 15, 2011
Nearly half-way done!
I don't blog anymore. I don't have the time. I don't have the energy. But I truly miss it. I miss being able to pour my thoughts out onto my blog. And I miss my readers. All four of you. ;o)
But as I sit here, I began to think of what a whirlwind these past 6 months have been for me. I'm nearly half-way done with my internship y'all!! It's only downhill from here, right?? Right?
I sure hope it is. I've changed my schedule so that I'm "off" on Mondays. Starting at the beginning of the year, Mondays are my Dissertation Days. I will devote my whole day to dissertation work. Because I WILL be done with that sucker by April. And I will graduate in May. I will, dammit!! So that means, I'll have my dissertation day, 2 days at the clinic and 2 days in the schools. Busy, busy, busy... but I CAN do this, right?? Right?
I think I can.
I think I can.
I think I can.
But as I sit here, I began to think of what a whirlwind these past 6 months have been for me. I'm nearly half-way done with my internship y'all!! It's only downhill from here, right?? Right?
I sure hope it is. I've changed my schedule so that I'm "off" on Mondays. Starting at the beginning of the year, Mondays are my Dissertation Days. I will devote my whole day to dissertation work. Because I WILL be done with that sucker by April. And I will graduate in May. I will, dammit!! So that means, I'll have my dissertation day, 2 days at the clinic and 2 days in the schools. Busy, busy, busy... but I CAN do this, right?? Right?
I think I can.
I think I can.
I think I can.
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