Finally!! A New Post!!

I know......I know!! But, really, once you neglect something for so long, it is SO hard to get back into the habit. I'm going to try to make this my New Year's resolution (keeping up with the blog, that is) even though I am about 4 months late ;).

Since, my last post Chris and I have moved back to the hills of East Tennessee and I am 30 weeks pregnant with our first son. Pregnancy has been the most amazing experience in my life. I have loved every moment (well, except the first 12 weeks of sickness), but that seems so far away in the past now and now I'm just anticipating his arrival. I love the flutters and kicks that happen only for daddy's voice. I love the fact that I've had to have extra ultrasounds, so I can see my handsome little man more than most people get to. I love making the preparations and making sure everything is just perfect. I love knowing that I am now a mom, which is something I believe to be one of the most important and precious positions that a person can hold. Sure, I think of things that could go wrong, or how our life is completely changing, but it all pales in comparison to the privilege that we've been given to be parents. I am so blessed to have this opportunity.

Maybe some of you don't know about Connor's little kidney problem that we found out about around 20 weeks. He has a condition called "fetal hydronephrosis", which is a long name for a blockage between the kidney and ureter. My doctor assured me that this is fairly common with little boys and she would keep a close eye on it to see how the condition was progressing. As all of you mommy's know- the feeling that something could potentially be wrong with your precious baby is heart-wrenching. Even though there's absolutely nothing you can do about it and it's not your fault, you feel this awesome responsibility for this life growing inside of you. So you can imagine the feelings that have been going through my head. However, today at my doctor's appointment, the ultrasound showed that his kidney's were at .4 and .5 which is very good news, because to even be considered hydronephrosis they have to be elevated to .7 by 32 weeks. They don't really expect them to elevate to .7 in the next 2 weeks so it's a pretty good chance that his kidney's are going to be completely normal at my next appointment. Praise the Lord! Everything else looks absolutely normal and the date is still set for July 24th. His nursery is pretty much finished, except for some stenciling on the walls. And thanks to an awesome garage sale day on Friday I'm almost completely prepared for our little guy. I can't believe how fast the pregnancy has gone, and I am learning just to take one day at a time and not worry about things I cannot change. The Lord gave us this baby and He is very capable of taking care of every issue that may arise. I can't ever get this moment back. I'm never again going to be pregnant with our first child, and so I'm going to do my best to cherish every moment and each new experience that comes along.

P.S. Stay in touch...as soon as I find the chord for my camera, I will be posting pics!

Thanks for reading!

A Quick Catch-up!

Maybe I need to introduce myself again- "Hello, my name is Diana. This is my blog- which I have totally neglected for the past- well- FOREVER!! " Now that the formal introductions are over, I will proceed to fill you strangers in on how my life has been the past month....

Since the last post, SO much has changed....I am now a teller at First Bank and loving it!! Yesterday was my first day of working by myself- yes, you guessed it...I am now the little lady that sits behind the glass as you're rolling through the drive- thru and gives your children stickers or your favorite pet a treat..I am now trying to recognize the faithful customers and learn their names. (You see, the older people really like you when you can do this; if you can't- well then you're practically worth nothing..) The girls are great that I work with and it is truly like a family...

Besides my new employment, we have moved our abode to a little white house with two bedrooms. Quite a change, but definitely a good one.

The holidays are right around the corner, and I am so ready for them. I can't wait to find my Christmas tree and put my first Christmas decorations up...I am very ready to go home for Christmas (Ohio) to see my family....it has been way TOO long. I'm glad all 5 of the kids will be home this year. It will be madness with 13 little ones all under the age of nine running around, but bring it on! I love Royalty holidays..

This probably was a pretty boring post- all information stuff- but I just wanted to fill you all in on everything. I think I've touched base on pretty much everything. I'm going to hopefully be writing a lot more now, so stay tuned for more!

Temptations

Wow!! it's been a long time since the last post. Nothing too exciting has happened, but we've had a good week....

Tonight, the Taste of Newton was in full swing, with every kind of food you could think of lining Main street. Now this sounds like a great thing right??! Well, it is except I had a moment of enlightenment yesterday about really getting serious about healthful eating. Not anything too crazy, but I definitely needed a change. Luckily, our big shopping day for the month was yesterday, so I created a "healthful" shopping list. I was very proud of myself, especially because I'm soda free ....well, until tonight, that is ;) It's not that I'm trying to be skinny-mini but I just want to be healthy. For the first time in my life I'm now taking a multi-vitamin. I'm actually very excited about this fact. Well, we all know that when we get something in our heads to do, the very next thing that happens is TEMPTATION. Well, for me, my temptation was the Taste of Newton. I am stuffed!! And yes, I did squeeze an Orange Crush pop in there somewhere.... but we're not going to talk about that. It was a special occasion and I took every advantage I could of it.....

My Favorite Season..

Don't you love the smell of autumn? The crisp cooler weather, the cozy feeling a warm house with a spice candle burning can give; or the smell of apple cider on the stove? Yes, I am a true fall lover. Of course, one reason may be that my birthday is smack dab in the middle of this beautiful season , but nevertheless, this has always been my favorite season of all.

As I sit on my couch today, enjoying my new fall decorations, I'm remembering when I was younger and the many "fall trips" my family went on. These trips would land us in certain destinations such as White House Fruit Farms, Volant, or Amish Country. These memories are so sweet for me and I may talk Chris into finding somewhere around here that is similar to those places ;) I can't wait for every thing this season holds for us.......Enjoy one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets.

James Whitcomb Riley. 1853–1916

"When the Frost is on the Punkin"

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,	5
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here—	10
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock—	15
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;	20
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps	25
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—	30
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

Ahh.......hot water

Goodbye to below 0 degree showers!! Goodbye to a sink full of dishes! and goodbye to stinky people ;) We have our hot water back! O friends, this feels like Christmas to me...well thank you for sharing this present trial with us. For now, I'm going to go enjoy a HOT bath.....

Could today be the day??

*WARNING*- AGGRAVATED WOMAN AHEAD!!!

I suppose I should inform you all of why I'm a little -no let me rephrase that- a lot aggravated. It can be summed up in one word- GAS. No my friends, I can guarantee it is not what you're thinking, rather it is the gas company. Our hot water has ceased to be since Friday.

On Friday, I had just finished doing the dishes, and Renee a load of laundry, when I realized as I was hopping into the shower, that we had no hot water. Of course, I thought it to be because we had used all of it by doing these other chores. Boy, was I wrong!! Eight hours later, when Chris came home, ready to get a hot shower, we still had none! We were very confused and frustrated, but it wasn't that bad because we were headed to Hutchinson for the weekend, and didn't have to worry about the hot water for 2 days. After a great weekend at the fair, and in Hutch, we headed home Sunday evening after church to our *cold* abode. It didn't affect us much that night, however because we had all already showered.

Monday morning, bright and early, I decided to call the gas company and see what was wrong. It turns out, the gas had not been put in our name. Our lovely landlord had forgotten to mention that minor detail. I proceeded to talk to a nice lady at the gas company. And as she set my account and asked me tedious questions, I couldn't wait to hear the words, "someone will be out to your house shortly to deal with this problem." As you can tell, with these hopeful thoughts, I've obviously never dealt with this kind of thing before, because she came back on the line telling me that no one could help me until the next day. It was a grim day at the Stivers household. My dishes continued to pile up because of the lack of hot water to wash them with. My hair was starting to look like it could oil a car, and poor Renee was taking below 0 degree showers.

The next day, I woke up refreshed because this was the day I had been waiting for: the infamous day when this house could return to normalcy. Well, little did I know, that that would not be the case. The appointment was set for anywhere from 12-5. I drove Renee to the airport and eagerly awaited the call of the "gas man". Hour after hour passed, and still no call. When 4:30 rolled around, I was becoming anxious, so I called the gas company once again to make sure someone was coming. As I was on the phone with her, an incoming call came through on the other line, and when I picked up, an older man's voice sounded on the other line. It was indeed the "gas man" calling to tell me he had one more house to do, and then he'd be over. During this time, I went to pick Chris up from work and waited.....

The next time I looked at the clock, it read 6:00 p.m. and still no show of the gas man. Now, Chris and I had to be at the fair at 7:30 and the fair is a 45 minute drive from our house, so needless to say, we were getting antsy. I finally had enough and picked up my phone to call the man back to see where in the world he was. He answered, and told me that he had received two emergency calls and would not be able to get to the house until at least 8:30 or 9:00. WHAT??!! I was so mad- I had waited all day to get into a warm shower only to find out that I had to wait until the next day, again! I replied, "Sir, my husband and I have to go the fair, because we have tickets to see a show. I have been without hot water since Friday and was counting on you to be here when you said you would." He responded tersely, "Well, this is business Ma'am. We can't control emergencies. I start work tomorrow at 8:30 so I'll give you a call and you'll be my first stop." I thought to myself many things but simply responded with a lame "Okay, see ya tomorrow." I knew the man was right about not being able to control emergencies but I just couldn't understand what was so hard about having enough people working that they could keep appointments! Needless to say, I desperately needed a shower so Chris started heating up water on the stove, but it takes a lot of pans full of water to fill up a bathtub. As we were working on it, I asked Chris "Are you being reminded of Little House on the Prairie right about now?" All I could think of was in a few years, looking back on this and laughing, but it sure wasn't funny right at the moment. We ended up running late for our show, but all in all, it was a fun night once again at the fair, and tomorrow was another day..(thank-you Scarlet for the inspiration....)

This morning is supposed to be the morning that we get our hot water back..could this really be it?? Could this be the day that I get to remember what hot water feels like? We'll see!

*One lesson I've learned from all of this: I will never take a hot shower for granted the rest of my life.

A fun week

Well, I'm very wide awake and chipper this morning and thought I might as well share a blog while I'm feeling this way. This has been such a great week: Flying home with Renee, the State Fair, shopping trips, and just all-around a good week. Church was great last night, and I'm soo thankful to get to be a part of this church. Chris was off to work bright and early this morning, and who knows what the day holds for Renee and I. Well, this was kind of a pointless blog post, but to sum it all up: I am going to have a great time and enjoy the blessings of today :)