Lately.

This week has been kind of slow, so I apologize for the lack of posts. Here is what I've been up to lately.

Baking.

I adore baking bread. And Southern Hubby and I can't seem to get enough of this particular bread I've been making recently. I got the recipe from the Homestead Blessings: The Art of Bread Making DVD. I treated myself to a few of their DVD's recently and I love them. ;)

Puppies.

This little man warms my heart and soul. Even though in April it will be two years since we rescued him, he can still be a bit skittish, slowly poking his head around corners and jumping at the smallest sound. I often wonder what sort of hell he lived through at the puppy mill he came from. I can't say this enough, rescue, do not buy.

Working.

My 'Bama Bee necklace is not one of my most popular necklaces but it holds a special place in my heart. I got a couple orders for it this past week and I decided to use the typewriter font for the word 'happy' and I love the way it came out. Must make one for me now.

Crafts.

My youngest sister had her wisdom teeth out, so I bought a soft blanket from Target and embroidered it for her to take. (My sewing machine also does embroidery.) I took one (yes, I'm a scaredy baby) and it really comforted me and kept me warm when the anesthesia made me chilly.

And how was your week? :)

I'm 30 and I don't have a baby.

I hate being an insomniac.

It's too late in the night to be thinking all the things that insomniacs think at 3am, while staring at the ceiling in the dark.

A lot of the times I think about God. And why He won't speak to me. And why I can't clear my head enough to hear Him.

But last night, as I was cuddling Matty like a newborn (he likes to wedge himself in between Southern Hubby and me) I began wondering if I'm ever going to have a baby. And as he lay perfectly still and snoring so cutely it hit me that I'm 30 years old. I'm happily married and with a (thank you, Jesus) stable income. And I don't have a child. Did I mention I'm 30?

My mother-in-law (bless her sweet heart), my grandmother, some of my mommy friends, and even strangers are starting to wonder; they look at me oddly- sort of like I'm 30, happily married, with a stable income, and I don't have a child. I guess that makes me a weirdo in this baby-happy age.

As Matty breathes softly and feels so warm in my arms, I began thinking, "This is nice. Maybe I could do this. And maybe my baby won't have fur and stinky night time doggy breath but sweet baby breath..."

But then I think of changing diapers. And not being able to nap. And taking 45 minutes to get out the door for a simple Target run. And how my life will change tremendously. And many, many more insomniac-like nights. Then all my selfish ways come pouring in.

"But, Jen... you love naps. And you like traveling without strings attached. And you have the worst gag reflex of anyone you know. And you're only 30 for goodness sakes! Surely you have a couple more years left."

I begin to relax. I'm OK. I'm good. I'm not a freak.

And if God decides to bless me with a baby, it will be at His time. Not mine.

I settle in for sleep and realize Matt's rhythmic breathing is enough for me right now.

Howdy y'all!

We're back from a Christmas up north! We had fun but I'm happy to be back home with my cuddly babies. :)

In these parts, we're getting some real life snow, so I figured I'd just pop in to say hi while I was cozy in bed.

Did everyone have a nice holiday? What did y'all get? Southern Hubby got me an awesome lens for my camera! I was tres excited, especially since I have a class at SMU that I'm taking in February. Can't wait! It's fun to be acutally building up a small arsenal of lenses-- photography is so hard but the results are worth it.

Here are just a few of the pictures from our trip...

Baby Rex, our sweet and utterly adorable cousin.

This was Matty's first Christmas, so of course we had to spoil the heck out of him. Southern Hubby got him some goodies to make up for the past lousy Christmases he spent in the puppy mill.

Southern Hubby and his brother. We were walking to the bar where we ran into this guy...

Guess Santa needs a rum and diet around the holidays like the rest of us...

Southern Hubby's cousin and his wife are due in February. They asked me to take a couple of pictures for them.

We woke up to this type of meal every single morning....yummy sugary goodness. Sadly, I gained almost 5lbs during the holidays. Boo. Guess it's back to my gym after the new year. I'm giving myself a couple more gluttonous days. :)

 

With some cousins-- on our way to see my brother in law play at a bar. He's in an awesome band.

I hope everyone had a fabulous and safe time with friends and family. I have other Christmas goodies I want to share with you in the new year. So, I'll be back soon. Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Eve. Bring on 2010, baby!!

xoxo

Camping

This has been our third weekend in a row to camp. I think I'm done for a little while. Even in our sweet trailer, I feel like I'm roughing it. I'm not the outdoorsy girl I thought I was. No matter how many purchases at Cabella's I make.

Right now, all I want are my 1000 thread count sheets, Blackberry access, and a Starbucks down the road.

We go for Round 4 in early November. So, I must remind myself of why I love the outdoors.

...the way the sky looks before the rain.

...the fact that calories don't count when you're in the wilderness.

... waiting patiently for my sweet shy boy to catch up,

... remembering how perfectly cute he is when he finally does.

... capturing pictures of things I take for granted most days,

...and of things I didn't even know existed.

Remember, tomorrow is the last day to win that super cute apron! Oh, and Kappa Prep and I decided to make Preppy Blogger Club Mondays a bi-weekly thing, so check back next week for our new selection. :)

Happy Monday, folks! Let's spread lots of love today to those we know and those we don't, ok?

xoxo Y

The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 19:34

Our first RV adventure!

We've arrived at our first RV destination- a little RV resort north of the small college town, Denton. I think 'resort' was a little bit of a stretch seeing as we already saw an old man walking around wearing nothing but jeans and a pair of suspenders! (Although Southern Hubby said this counted as a shirt around these parts.)

Unfortunately, as soon as pulled up, we started having trouble. For some reason, SH couldn't get the hitch off of the trailer. It was stuck on there pretty good. After about 15 minutes of working on it, somehow it came off but poor SH was already sweaty and tired. (He was adamant that I not ask for help from the other men camping around us. Men, sheesh!) I immediately went inside with the pups who were having some trouble breathing seeing as it was hot and very humid. Thankfully, SH got the electricity going and things cooled off.

I got to work cleaning and getting things sorted out while SH did some things on the outside like hook up the water hoses. As I started unpacking, I began realizing that there were many (many) things we had forgotten. For example, pots and pans to cook in, a cookie sheet for the cookies I had planned on making that night, trash bags, a sponge to wash the dishes, the toilet chemicals we left in the car at home, paper towels, etc. Oh, and compound all that with the huge tension headache I was having. Things were looking disastrous! So was our little Bee Hive.

After a while, we got most things sorted out. I took a little nap with the pups in the hopes that my bad headache would go away and SH did a little work on the computer. (They had wireless here on the grounds so he was able to log in, thankfully.)

After I woke up, we ate an early dinner (tuna sandwiches and chips thanks to our forgetfulness) and watched Texas beat up on Tech on SH new TV (Hook 'Em!!). Girls, I literally had to force him to get a 19". He was hoping somehow to fit a 26" in here but I thought that was a little much. Thankfully he gave in and we ended up with a great little TV! It fits nicely.

Even though the trip started a bit rough, I think we're going to love it! We settled in nicely and enjoyed spending time in our little Bee Hive. We're hoping to get out next weekend too, although as I type this, it's thundering pretty loudly. Hopefully the ground dries up by the weekend!

Also, please don't forget to don't forget about sweet Mr. Churchill. Sadly, this is what his paypal fund looks like today. If you don't feel comfortable donating via paypal, then please just send a check straight to the animal shelter. I'll have to use the honor system on this one. Send me an email and let me know you did donate so that you can be entered to win all the goodies.

And I've lowered the minimun entry to only one day's worth of Starbuck's coffee and a fat free slice of blueberry coffee cake- $5! That's all you need to donate to enter to win one of Churchill's fab swag gift bundles!!! Let's make this happen for this sweet gift from God!

UPDATE: If you donated to Churchill, I DID get the money! I just needed to go into paypal to confirm the email connected with the account. Sorry about that!!! I'll have first name only list of those who did donate. Thanks so much yall! My heart is bursting!!! -jrb

Here is the link of people who's donations have gone through:

1. Anna S.
2. Baylee C.
3. Stephanie P.
4. Lyndsay S.
5. Lindsay R.

6. Kelley B
7. Susan E. K.

8. Margaret C.

9, Katie B.
10. Amy B.
11. Brittney A.

Happy travels, y'all!

xoxo Y

Blueberry muffins and the lazy boys of summer

A couple of things...

First of all, thank you so much for all the words and emails about my last post. Your words have definitely helped me and I plan to continue working on hearing Him when He speaks. I know I will also need to remove any obstacles that are keeping my ears plugged. With things like pride, idolatry (materialism), and complete trust, I think I have my work cut out for me. And as much as I'd like to beat myself up, I know I'm a sinner. And I know I'm not perfect. And He knows this. So, my prayers right now are for removing these obstacles that often block a lot of us from clearing hearing what He wants us to do. And I thank you for the wisdom you shared.

I also wanted to tell you a little bit about Puppies Behind Bars. My friend Erin, who's heart is as big as her smile, is attempting to sponsor a puppy by selling super cute dog collars with 100% of the profits going to her cause . Puppies Behind Bars is an organization that pairs prisoners with Labrador Retriever puppies to train them to be service dogs. Often, the unconditional love of the puppy is the only unconditional love the prisoners ever receive. To me, it's hard want to give a criminal enough trust to train a loving dog, but I think that's why God presented me with this situation. He wants me to open my heart a little; entertain the idea of second chances and forgiveness.

So, I told Erin, I'd love to help her in any way I could. Before the deadline, I do plan on purchasing two collars for my babies, but until then, I'd like to help by spreading the word. Please take the button and put it on your site. Talk about it to your readers. Hopefully we can all help her raise the $3000 goal. If you don't think you could buy a dog collar, Erin would gladly accept any fabric donations. Please visit her site for more information.

And lastly, I'm soooo excited to finally announce that my website is up and running! I don't have everything on it yet, but I do have most of my PMC designs as well as a couple of customer favorites. I'd appreciate if you'd spread the word as I feel it's going to be a bit hard to make the switch from Etsy to my site. I plan on having a coupon code for my readers soon. I'm still trying to figure out all the nuts and bolts about how to maintain this site, so give me a little bit of time on that one. :)

Happy Father's Day weekend!!

xoxo Y

Matty Poo-Poo Head & One Angry Rant

I've gotten so many emails concerned about my Matty and I'm so thankful for all the prayers he's getting. Yes, he still needs them. Of course after the bloody stool (sorry, TMI) dilemma, we took him to the vet. He didn't notice anything unusual, so he sent us with some Rx dog food and some fiber to mix inside it.

He's gotten much better in the potty department, but he now associates me with him getting hurt so badly and is so terrified and untrusting of me. This absolutely breaks my heart and believe me, I've cried about it many times. I just want him to know how he's safe with me and I'd never hurt him like in his former life. Thankfully, he is not at all afraid of Southern Hubby. As soon as he gets home, he runs up to him and starts trying to walk on his hind legs to get closer to him. It's absolutely the cutest thing ever! :)

Keep the prayers coming please, cause I really want him to be able to trust me again. Here are just a couple of recent pictures of my baby. Isn't he the cutest ever!? :)

Ok, here's the rant... today we went to Walmart to buy a Better Homes and Gardens desk. It was a beautiful desk and I'd wanted something to put my Bible study materials on. I've been using our breakfast area table and it just looks so cluttered with all my books, journals and what not. So now I have a dedicated spot just for my studies. I wish they had a picture of it online, but I think it's not being sold anymore. (On the side, if you're looking for dirt cheap, super cute pieces, go check out their BH&G collection. It's all so cute and looks like really nice quality.)

While we were there, I saw a young girl with her mother. I'd say she was about 13 or 14. For some reason, I glanced down at her shirt and saw that is read "Cubby Hole- Open 27/7." I couldn't see the accompanying graphic but I didn't need it in order to get what the shirt was trying to tell the world.

How are parents letting their young daughters wear such provocative and suggestive clothing?! Do they not understand the sexual innuendo the shirt is proclaiming? And this one isn't even the worst of them. "Trust me, I know what boys want," "Two boys for every girl," and, "Yes, but not with you."

I'm just astounded and appalled. I like to think of myself as open minded, but never would I let my daughter walk so much as a step out of her room with a shirt like that. When did parents stop telling their kids what they can and can't wear? When did it become okay to have your mom be your best friend or just like an older sister? Moms are just that- moms. I don't think the best friend thing normally comes until the child is a young adult and has left the house. At least that was when I was on a friend level with my mother. I was on my own and realized the struggles she went through to raise me and reason she did the things she did.

It just boggles my mind. Am I the only one?

Ok, let me leave you with this disturbing picture of a pre teens underwear.

Did your mouth drop open like mine did?! I was just speechless. Something has to be done about this! I'm not a mom so I don't know all the girl shops out there but there has to be a way to get manufacturers to stop making them. And mothers need to stop buying them. Monitor their closets. Monitor their facebooks and myspaces. Why do they have to be private? If it's something you can't read, then they probably shouldn't be writing it at all.

Ok, I've obviously had too much coffee this morning. No more ranting. And I apologize for unloading on you without any proper warning. I'll gave a hand signal for the next time I think I'm gonna blow!

Happy holding on to your 12, not 19 year old baby girls!

xoxo Y

Bizzy Bee and goings on

Things have just been non stop around here and for whatever reason, I'm feeling like a need to step back from blogging. I guess that's why I haven't been around daily, just in case you were wondering what happened to me. :)

Jackson and Matty seems to be doing OK together, but as of yesterday, Matty took a turn for the worse. We were outside playing and he ran into our patio steps pretty badly. Ever since then, he's reverted back to his old timid and scared ways. He's not shaking, but he hasn't used the potty since yesterday around 5pm. He's eaten and had water but nothing. When we put him on the grass, he'll stand for a bit and then lay down. He won't move from that spot until you go get him. All he wants to do is be held and sleep. I don't know if I should take him to the vet or if that incident just traumatized him. I just want to make sure nothing happened to his brain, like swelling or something. Please say a prayer for him. We are pretty worried.

On the decorating front, I've decided to wait to buy fabric until Memorials Day weekend. All their fabric is 50% off and I got a coupon in the mail for 10% off my entire purchase. Now that is some cheap redecorating! :)

Southern Hubby has been very busy at work. The company is working on a huge project for a global camera company and it's worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I can't imagine the pressure and stress my poor SH is under. Last night, his team took this company out to dinner and SH told me that he'd just had dinner with the Japanese equivalent of Bill Gates. I thought that was pretty neat. Sadly, it seems like I haven't seen him for days. Although he did take me out on a quick date last night. It was nice to catch up with him.

Other than that, everything in the Southern house is doing good. My sissy, J came home for the summer from college. I can't wait to hang out with her. She is so creative. She's a photographer, a painter, draws, knits, pretty much does it all. And she's in school for medicine. She wants to be a pediatrician. I'm so proud of her. Now all I need to do is get my youngest sis in vet school and I should have all my babies covered! ;) lol

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Thanks for being such awesome readers. Although I can't reply to each and every one of your comments, know that I do read them and are so grateful for them. And please keep precious Matty in your prayers. He's not the same right now and we're praying he snaps out of what is making him like this.

Happy weekend to all!

xoxo Y

Making Your Home a Haven Mondays- Setting a Bedtime Routine

Happy Monday, y'all! I feel so thankful today for God's provisions, especially new beginnings. I have been so bogged down with obligations outside of the house that I feel that I've let some things slip. I may be absent some time this week as I try to get my priorities straightened out.

The challenge for this week over at Tammy's place is to set up an evening routine. Since I sort of jumped ahead and posted one when she had us set a bedtime, I'm going to re-post those and make any necessary changes to those.

The Southern Housewife's Nightly Routine:

• After dinner, clean up the kitchen, sweeping the floor, disinfecting the counters, rinsing and putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, and making sure my sink is empty and shiny! How nice is it to wake up each morning to an gleaming sink and empty counters?!
• Do a quick 15 minute clean up. (pick up clutter, arrange sofa pillows, clear the kitchen bar aka catch all for mail, keys, purse, misc., empty replacing, etc.)
• Feed the babies and give out meds if necessary.
• Change into pajamas.
• Do my nightly face regimen and brush teeth.
• Take my vitamins and any medications.
• Read over my schedule for tomorrow. Write down any special errands or chores that need to be done.
• Praying with Southern Hubby. Lately we've been reading Moments with You by Barbara and Dennis Rainey from FamilyLife, which y'all know I love with a capital L!
• Snuggle up with the Southern Puppies and get some beauty rest!

Recently, SH and I have been reading about extra marital affairs, but not the kind that you may be thinking about. The ones I am referring to are "screen affairs." We first heard about this at our Weekend to Remember conference back in February. How hard those words hit me! I always thought I was a faithful wife. I never cheated on SH with any man ever! But I was cheating him out of my time with my blackberry and my computer.

So we decided that at night, we need to put away the blackberries and the Internet. If SH is working, then I can get on and play around, but the night time needs to be just for us. I was so caught up in reading homemaking blogs and writing my own, that it became something that was taking me away from the very thing I was trying to work on a promote- marriage! How ironic.

Are you having any 'screen affairs?' It doesn't just have to be phones or computers. Are TVs, and video games keeping you away from spending time with the family at night? It's different for everyone. This week, challenge yourself to turn off the screens at night!

Happy Haven Mondays!

xoxo Y

PS- I wanted to say THANK YOU so much from the bottom of heart for all the sweet and kind words about our new family addition. You really have no idea how much they mean to me and it brought tears to my eyes to see how much of you out there really care about animals. They are God's creatures too, after all. Without further ado, here he is, the newest Southern- Mattie!

New Member of the Southern Family

This past Saturday, Southern Hubby and I went to our volunteer orientation to start volunteering at our local SPCA. I should have known that I could not have left there without saving a baby. I should have known this. But I thought I would be a bit stronger. After all, I plan on volunteering weekly and I can't leave with a baby every time! But when we went on the tour of the facilities, a nervous white ball of cotton in the far corner caught my eye. As I got closer, through the tears forming in my eyes, I saw a small, weak Maltese with the face of my baby Jackson (Southern Puppy.) I looked closer and he was terrified so much that he was shaking uncontrollably. SH came up behind me and the poor baby turned to face the wall. He was too scared to even look us in the eye. Right then and there, I knew I had to bring him home. It was obvious this baby had never seen love before.

I didn't really pay too much attention to the rest of the tour, as all I could think about was the baby I left behind. As soon as the orientation was over, I made a bee-line straight to him. We asked to be taken to a private room so we could get to know him a bit better. He was still scared and shaking, but after about 15 minutes, he was able to relax in my arms. The SPCA worker confirmed that he was part of the Arkansas puppy mill raid that happened on March 25th. This baby was rescued from horrific conditions. He never knew life outside his crate (which we came to confirm later as we walks very wobbly due to atrophied leg muscles), was abused, matted badly with feces, fleas and ticks, and was only used as a breeding machine to turn out more and more puppies to sell at ridiculously high prices. These babies are living in squalor and the breeders only think about the almighty dollar.

He is still scared of our touch but is warming up to us. You can tell he has had to share and/or fight for his food all his life as it takes him a while to eat. He has to check the area out first many times to make sure no one scary is around. SH tried to feed him in a bowl the first time and he had no idea what to do with it. However, we put some food on the ground, and he knew it was time to eat. Looks like he'd only eaten from the floor. The stairs on our patio are very hard for him to navigate as his legs are skinny and weak and he doesn't know how they work. He would fall off them without our help. He feels safer in the warm crate we gave him and filled with soft blankets and what is becoming his favorite toy- his little moo cow. :) He's starting to warm up to us and sleeps with us (two adults + 2 puppers = one crowded bed!) and doesn't always flinch when we try to pet him.

Here are a couple of articles from the raid. I can't even imagine someone letting helpless babies live in conditions like these. Pray that these greedy heartless people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Article One

Article Two

Click here for the SPCA's picture of the actual raid. About 140 puppies were given to Texas shelters.

Please pray that this little baby will open up to us and realize that we are only here to love him and not mistreat him like he was used to in his previous life. He's such a sweet little angel and will fit in well once he knows he can trust us.

And to those who may not know this, PLEASE DO NOT BUY DOGS FROM BREEDERS, INTERNET STORES, MALL PET STORES, FLEA MARKETS! You are just making those people who mistreat dogs prosperous and are giving them a reason to keep abusing these poor animals. These are the conditions that cute little baby is coming from. Don't let the breeders fool you. This is how they really live.

If you are considering buying a new baby, here are some tips.

Thanks for listening to me rant. Y'all know how passionate I am about animal rights and it just breaks my heart to see people buying sweet babies from these kind of backyard breeders, and they aren't made aware of what kind of operation their money is going to. You can get a pure bred puppy just as easily in an adoption shelter. Ours is pure bred Maltese. :)

PS- He still needs a name!!! We decided not to keep his previous name, Arkansas #61 (how sad is that?!). Any suggestions are welcome!!!

Happy, healthy, safe and LOVED puppies to all!

xoxo Y

A glimpse of my holiday home

Since I have been priviledged to be invited into a lot of your beautiful homes, I figured it was only right to take you on a mini Christmas tour of mine. Even though the holidays are over, I like to leave the tree and decorations up for a few more days. Then I start feeling behind on my house cleaning and am forced to take them down. ;) The pictures I'll be sharing are of the past couple of years at our new home. We've been here about three, so I'm sure you'll be seeing how my decor changes and moves.

Unfortunately, we're still newly married (well, in my eyes!) and have yet to accumulate a vast amount of holiday decorations. (Head over to Ruthann's place for a winter wonderland that will blow you away!) I like to go to Target and the antique shops for the after Christmas sales, but I also do my best to not break the bank, so my hubby won't be sweating bullets. :)

I've just discovered that you can get a lot of neat things at yard sales and the like. And they've opened a new TJ Maxx Homegoods nearby. My goodness, you should have seen my eye pop out when I walked in there for the first time! :) I'm sure at that same point, Hubby's heart started racing and he didn't quite know why...hee hee. I also get a lot of decor from craft malls, Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge, Joanns, and various antique shops. I need a garage sale buddy to head out on weekends with. Anyone in Texas?! :)

My buffet table in my dining room.

At the bottom of our stairs in the foyer. I'd love to add more to this area next year.

On the bar separating our kitchen from our living area.

I refill these jars by season. For Fall, they were filled with gourds and during the year, its filled with yummy potpurri. Maybe I can find some cute wooded Easter eggs for the Spring.

The door leading to my small laundry room.

A corner on my kitchen counter. I just love chickens! And the recipe for those cookies coming up on Monday!

I love the jingle sound this makes when someone I love walks through the front

I made a couple of these wooden prim signs last year. The previous pictures were a couple of my favorite ornaments.

Our fire place and mantle.

Christmas '07- The Loot (And no, this was not all for me. My immediate family comes over Christmas morning, so these are gifts for 8 adults and one very spoiled niece.)

A couple Christmases ago, my sweet MIL started giving me the Willow Tree Nativity Collection. I just love WT and am almost complete! This year, she gave me the 3 Wise Men. Next year, I'd love those cute stars. They're just too darling!

Our stair banister. I worked so hard on this darn banister! It's not how I envisioned, but I think it turned out ok. :)

Christmas '06 tree. This tree is decorated with primitive ornaments. I love the collection that Target had a couple years ago. It's what got me started. And I've been collecting ever since. :) Hubby and I get one special ornament each year. We've been doing it since before we were married and I hope it continues to be a family tradition.

I'll leave you with a picture of the cutest little puppers that ever lived! This is my baby, Jackson in his red Christmas thermal pajamas. (Hey, I've got to keep him warm! How much heat do you think 5 lbs of doggy would generate?! hee hee!)