Beau or Bow?

For those of you that don't know, I'm expecting our second bundle of joy in October.  We find out tomorrow, May 15, what the baby will be - so long as baby cooperates of course.  Our first, wasn't shy and had no qualms about sharing his manhood, haha! It will be interesting to see how things go in the morning with this little one.

If you're interested, I'm going to post a poll on here - or you are also welcome to leave a comment - about what your guess is for Baby Harper #2...  Before you vote though, I thought I'd share some fun little tidbits about my pregnancy {based on old wives tales} to aide you in your educated guess.  :)

Is baby's heartbeat above or below 140?   above 140 {supposedly this means girl, but this wasn't true for our first!!} 
Do you crave salty/sour or sweet?   both      {sweet means girl, salty/sour means boy - supposedly it also means boy if you're craving meat or dairy, which I can't get enough of!!!}
Do you have morning sickness? yes or no   no   {yes means girl, no means boy} 
Are you moody or happy?    moody    {moody means girl, happy means boy}  
**I'm not putting any stock in this one because we have some extra things going on at our house so I'm beyond stressed... when I get outside that situation, I'm actually very happy!! lol! 
Is you skin soft or dry?     dry          {dry means boy, soft means girl}
Do you sleep on your right or left side?   left   {left means boy, right means girl} 
Do you have headaches? yes or no  yes   {headaches mean boy...}
Hair: thin and dull or full bodied and glossy?  it was thin and dull before I got it done and used better hair products, haha! now it's thin and glossy! ;)     {thin and dull means girl, full bodied and glossy means boy}

Where have you gained weight? My weight gain {as with my first} has been almost entirely in the middle!    {the old wives tales goes that in the middle means boy, butt and hips means girl}   My hubby hasn't gained any weight, which according to the old wives tale means boy...

The Chinese Birth Chart uses your age at conception + month of conception to "determine" the gender... according to mine, it's a BOY! We will see how true this ends up being.  It was actually right with our son, but of course it's a 50/50 chance.  :)

The Mayans looked at age of conception and year of conception.  If both are even, it's a girl.  If one's even and the other is odd, it's a boy.  If this holds any water {haha!} then it's a BOY! Again, we'll see!

The ring test: tie your wedding ring to a string and hold it over your belly.  If it's swings in a circle, it's a boy.  If it sways back and forth, it's a girl!   Mine swung in a circle, so... chalk another one up for BOY!

Other random things:
If your hands are dry {which mine are}, it means boy.
If your skin breaks out, it means girl.  <<--My skin broke up in the first trimester both pregnancies, but cleared up when I hit the second trimester and I switched my face wash!!
Do you look better while pregnant? If yes, it means boy because girls steal all your good looks!
If your feet get colder than before pregnancy, it means boy. If not, it means girl.  

Soooo.... 

Boy - 10            Girl - 5   

Guess we will find out for sure tomorrow!!! :)  Announcement won't be until Sunday though when we have our gender reveal with our families!! <3

Day 7: The Thing(s) I'm Most Afraid Of...

Well obviously I've already fallen behind on blogging every day in May {I'm a pregnant mom to a toddler, I stay busy!}, but I'm still going to keep up with the series because she has some really thought provoking prompts.  ;)

Of course I have the things that scare the crap out of me that are everyday {and not so everyday}, like: spiders.  I'm terrified of spiders.  I literally go Jello-kneed when I see one.  There is something truly terrifying about anything with that many legs and being able to kill you at that size.  It's just not OK.

Deep water: I really can't tell you exactly what it is, but I think it's mostly how vast it is {I'm thinking ocean here} and there are some really terrifying things that lurk there.  I.e. Sharks.  I'm fascinated but absolutely terrified of them.

Not watching my son grow up: yes, I realize this is a more serious fear... but it really scares me.  It wasn't ever something I thought about before having kids, and now it crosses my mind probably once a day.  It could be anything: horrific accident, cancer, aneurysm, etc... but it just scares me that I could miss out on my child's life.

Failure/Not truly being good at anything: This is probably the one that has stuck around the longest.  Being a teacher, a mother, a wife... these are all thankless jobs.  You do them to fulfill yourself and have to be ok with not getting a pat on the shoulder as often as you'd like.  But sometimes, you just really need somebody to tell you that you're doing a great job at something.  Now that I've factored in writing as something I'm seriously pursuing vs a hobby, I wrestle with self-doubt daily.  What if nobody wants to publish my book? What if nobody buys my book?? What if people that buy my book think it's terrible?? My friends tell me this isn't true... but it's still there.  Doesn't everyone wrestle with self-doubt at one point or another?

What are you afraid of??

Day 2: Reminding Those You Love, They Matter

Today's blog is going to be harder for me... I'm supposed to educate you on something that I know a lot about or am good at.  Well, that could be any number of things.  I was a teacher for 5 years, so I could educate your ears off about education, but that would be more like jumping on a soapbox, which I don't think should be the intent of this blog post. ;)  I'm a huge history nerd, especially when it comes to the South and my great state of Texas, so I've thought about that too.  And of course, I spend my days trying to be the best momma and wife that I can possibly be.  Which I spend almost all of my time doing.  <3

So I'm going to just start typing and see what's easiest for me to educate you in.  *wiggles eyebrows*

My husband and I have been married for 7 years, dated for 3ish before that, and were best friends for 3 years prior to that.  To say that I knew what I was getting myself into {as far as who my husband is} would be the understatement of the century.  ;)  We had a very rocky start to our relationship, since we basically skipped the dating part and jumped right into super serious mode {we basically already knew everything about each other}and to be honest, it scared the hell out of me.  I couldn't even begin to fathom that what I'd looked for in every boyfriend prior had been standing right in front of my face the entire time and I had been completely blind to this fact. Because of some poor choices I made in my little *freak out mode* the first few months of our relationship, I basically spent the next year reassuring him of my feelings.  It's something that's always stuck with me: you don't ever let the ones you love doubt your feelings for them, ever.    In our second year of marriage, my dad left my mom and our family without any explanation, the night before the first Thanksgiving we hosted at our house.  It was another important lesson in never taking the things you love for granted, because one day they could be gone.  Luckily, things have worked out that my father is now back in my life, five years later, but I definitely try not to ever give him any doubt that I want him there.

I say all this to say that I've learned, without a doubt, that it's the little things in your relationships/marriage that matter most. There's no excuse to not take a few minutes out of your day to remind the ones you love that you're thinking about them.

               I write my hubby little notes and leave them in random places.  He saves all of them.  <3

My hubby and dad both love chocolate chip cookies.  {I found a fabulous recipe off Pinterest that I've tailored and dabbled with and they looove.}  If I bake some, I made sure both have them to munch on.  

I send both men in my life random texts to let them know I'm thinking about them.  

I'll post things on my hubby's FB wall that remind me of him.  

He always comments on how it brings a smile to his face.  :)  

I'll make my hubby a playlist for his car ride to work.  

I know his favorite foods, and try to cook one of them once a week.

{Being preggo chasing a toddler hinders this at times, but luckily he's super understanding, haha!}

I try to make far more encouraging comments than negative/worrisome ones.  

{This is especially hard for me since I'm a natural worry wart...}

I encourage him to go out for a couple of drinks with the guys when he needs to, which isn't often {he'd rather be home with us...}.  

I give him time to himself every night to wind down and do his "guy stuff": watch Spartacus play his video games, whatever he wants to do to have some alone time and relax.

I surprise him with sweet projects from our son for his office. 

I always have a pitcher of sweet tea made and in the fridge so he never has to ask. ;)  

I always say thank you.  It's never not necessary.  

I tell him I love him a ridiculous amount of times a day.  <3

We find shows we enjoy watching together, and carve out time to watch them.  Luckily, we have pretty similar tastes so it's easy! 

OK, so I guess this turned into a 'how to remind those important in your life that they matter' kind of post... but that's what happens when you just go with the flow. ;)  Mostly it's the men in my life, but both are extremely important to me.  One fathered me, and the other is the father to our kids. Both pretty important in my book! 

On a side note, here a few of the many things he does for me:  <3

{When I could drink, before I was preggo again...} He'd bring home my favorite beer, wine, or even a yummy frozen concoction he'd discovered at the store.

He makes us breakfast every Sunday morning.

He puts our son in bed every night.

He will surprise me with a favorite food: this is a big deal when you're pregnant and have cravings!

He says the sweetest corniest things to me at the most random of times, and I love every time he does it!

He lets me sleep in one day on the weekends {we take turns}.

He steps up and takes care of things for my family, without me ever asking him to.

He sends me texts/emails/pictures that reminds him of me.

He will randomly call me during his busy day to tell me he loves me.  <3

Don't forget to do a little something extra for the important people in your life! 

Month of May Challenge: Day 1 {About Me}

 Day 1 {Wednesday}: The story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)

Note: I'm not a person of "few" words so this is a huge challenge for me! 

Born and raised in the same area of Texas my entire life {all 30 years}.  Wrote and danced my way through elementary, middle and high school – sprained my knee so badly my senior year I was out from November on.  Went on to college where I entered a 3+ year relationship with somebody I never should have been with, but met my husband out of the deal, so I at least walked away with the upper hand.  Spent 5+ years in college trying to figure out who I wanted to be, graduated with a degree in early childhood education.  Married my best friend, who was actually my college boyfriends best friend/roommate {now there’s a story for you…} in 2006 {within a month of graduating}.  Taught for 5 years in public school.  Had our first child in 2011, became a stay at home momma.  Being a mom is by far my favorite job in the world, even though it doesn’t pay. ;)  Just started writing again in January after a {roughly} 2 year hiatus.  I don’t plan on anymore breaks!

I absolutely adore {in no particular order} the state of Texas, the South, sweet tea, the beach, our son, sunsets, cold, fruity drinks, country music, cowboy boots, weekend trips to the lake/river, being a wife, great food, firepits, making memories, cold beer, taking pictures, fireflies, palm trees and giant oaks covered in Spanish moss, plantation style houses, family, friends, being a momma, BBQ, movies, loud music, and wine. 

Bam! 247 words. ;)  

Blog Every Day in May

So when I mentioned in my previous post that I was jumping in with both feet first, I wasn't joking. My personality is pretty much all or nothing, although being a momma definitely challenges that aspect of my life daily. ::chuckles:: I'm linking up with a challenge called 'Blog Every Day in May', run by Jenni from Story of My Life.

 The rules and prompts:
 1. There really aren't any rules. If you miss a day, you can make it up or skip it. The blog police will not come knocking.
 2. I will be including a linkup option at the bottom of my post each day, so you are welcome to leave your links here for others to peruse, as well.
 3. You can still post other things every day, too. I plan to do normal outfit posts, life posts, around-Austin posts, and sponsor posts just like usual.
 4. I'd seriously love you if you also include the "blog every day in May" button (below) either on your sidebar or at the end of your posts, but again, the blog police will not come knocking. My main goal here is to get us all back to the basics of blogging, not to gain a million new readers (though I wouldn't mind that).
5. Here are the topics. You can be as creative and awesome or as boring and bland as you like with these. Take 'em and run with it. Use creative post titles. Interpret each "prompt" however you like. There's no wrong way to do it. Have fun.

 Day 1, Wednesday: The story of your life in 250 words or less (or one paragraph... no one will be counting your words... probably)
Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know alot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)
Day 3, Friday: Things that make you uncomfortable
Day 4, Saturday: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love it
Day 5, Sunday: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your blogger friends. What makes them great? Why do you love them? If you don't have blogger friends, talk about a real-life friend or even a family member
Day 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?
Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of
Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.
Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words)
Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill.
 Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less
Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)
Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.
Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy
Day 15, Wednesday: A Day in the life (include photos from throughout your typical day - this could be "a photo an hour" if you'd like)
Day 16, Thursday: Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it
Day 17, Friday: A favorite photo of yourself and why
Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.
Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them
Day 20, Monday: Get real. Share something you're struggling with right now.
Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives
Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)
Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you
Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits
Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)
Day 26, Sunday: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.
Day 27, Monday: A letter to your readers
Day 28, Tuesday: Only pictures
Day 29, Wednesday: Five songs or pieces of music that speak to you or bring back memories. Use Grooveshark or YouTube to include them in the post
Day 30, Thursday: React to this term: Letting Go
Day 31, Friday: A vivid memory

 Next up: my first "actual" blog post in May! :)

May 2013 Blogging Challenge

Since I'm just starting up this blog, I figured now would be as good of a time as any to jump in with both feet and put myself out there.  I've jumped into this venture once before when I was teacher, but the writing world is a completely different animal.  :)  While both {being an author and teacher} were things I wanted to do from the time I was little, I feel like this might truly be what I want to do with my life.  We will see where it leads me! Link up and join me for this challenge, won't you? :)

Free Book: The Pharoah and the Curator! !

When I jumped back into my writing journey, I was lucky enough to stumble onto a fantastic group of women.  We all write different genres, but there is an insane amount of talent oozing from our small clutch.  {Check us all out here!}

One of these women, is the lovely Sophia Jones.  Her second short, The Pharaoh and the Curator was published through Amazon last Friday.  For now it's free {and so so so good} so head on over to Amazon to grab it!!!  To be honest, it will leave you wanting much, much more! ;)

Sunshine Award! :)

Thank you to Cait Jarrod, http://caitjarrod.com/, for giving me this awesome award!   

As with most awards, the Sunshine Award comes with a few simple rules:

(1) Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.

Thanks Cait! :)  

(2) Do the Q&A below.

(3) Pass on the award to 8-12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.

Q & A

Favorite Color:  Purple.  I am a horned frog after all.  {I went to TCU!} 

Favorite Animal: I hate these questions.  I don't really have favorites.  Domesticated animal would have to be a dog - we have 3.  However, I'm pretty partial to anything cute and fuzzy! 

Favorite Number: I always used to dread the number 13, but since that's our son's birthday and our second baby's due date... I'm pretty partial now!!! :)  

Favorite Non-alcoholic drink: Sweet tea.  Yummmmm.  

Facebook or Twitter: Facebook.  Twitter makes my ADD brain feel like it's going to explode.  Too much at once.  

Your Passion: I have several, but reading, writing, and history are my top 3.  I can get a little over zealous and obnoxious about any of those... ;)  

Giving or getting presents: Giving.  I LOVE figuring out super special individualized presents and watching for a reaction.  That's the best present.  

Favorite Day: It used to be Friday, but now that I'm a stay at home mom, I love Saturday and Sunday since that's when my hubby is off! 

Favorite Flowers: I love anything tropical... I'm not really partial to any one flower.  I love oriental lilies, orchids... so pretty.  :)  

Finally, these are the 12 fantastic bloggers I’m tagging for this award (Now, I’m off to tell them, so maybe they’ll have posts up in a day or two. If not, at least you can look  around some terrific sites!):

First, please visit the author responsible for nominating me for the award. 

Cait Jarrod  - http://caitjarrod.com/

I'm still making friends in the writing world, so bear with me.  Below are some fantastic writers, although not all are published yet.  Enjoy exploring their sites and getting to know them! 

Kishan Paul - http://kishanpaulauthor.wordpress.com/

Aubrey Wynne - http://aubreywynneauthor.wordpress.com

Sophie Lira -http://sophielira.wordpress.com/

Nessie Strange - nessieslivingdeadworld.blogspot.com

Danielle Taylor -  authordtaylor.wordpress.com

Cassandra Janey - cassandrajaney.com

Katya Pavlopoulos -  http://kmoonstone.wordpress.com/

Stephanie Jones -  http://www.sophiajonesromance.com/blog.html

Dream Big!

I'm now several days into Camp NaNoWriMo, and while it pulled me out of my "slump" like I'd hoped, I'm just not covering as much ground as I'd like to.  I realize 50k words in 30 days is asking a lot, and I also realize that month isn't even half over yet...but I'd like to be further along.

Truth be told I finished this "book" in high school - over 200 hand written pages I painstakingly cranked out with all the naive bliss that is high school love {and when I say naive, please believe me that I was a ridiculous level of naive} and actually dedicated and gave it to my high school boyfriend.  ::eye roll:: Yes, I was/am that girl.

This book has been written and reworked so many times, I think it's safe to say that's its a brand new story, but still very much about two people falling deeply in love with each other.  It still carries a tune of falling in love with your best friend, but has become so much more than that high school girl ever dreamed.  I've learned and experienced a lot since then!

So here's to all the aspiring authors out there, some I know, others I don't, that are pouring out their heart and soul into a book and dream of being published.  Let's cheer each other on, reach for the stars, and continue to dream big!

If you can dream it, you can do it. - Walt Disney