Custom Bushdee Shirt

Attention wives, mommies, sisters, aunties, grandmas... and men who think ahead and like to get unique gifts. (?)

Ha-ha! Okay - not to male-bash - but that last one might be a stretch...

Regardless of who you are! Check it out!
My friend, Amber, makes these awesome - custom-order designs. :)

Although in hindsight I should have ordered Peyton once size larger (how did this kid get so long-bodied???) - the shirt exceeded my expectations in both quality and cuteness.

Peyton - throughout the day - kept looking down and saying, "Happee Bushdee!" (see above picture and imagine it...) *chuckle*

Christmas is coming, right? In fact, I think I saw a "Christmas is only 9-and-a-half weeks away!" status on Facebook this morning...

Check it out, everyone! You won't be disappointed.

Life At Ease

My brother (Kiley) and his wife (Jessica) - along with Peyton's "boy cousin" (due only a week after her 'bebe sisser') have started a new business called "Life at Ease" which allows the convenience of online shopping and home delivery - anywhere.

As a bonus, if you spend over $75 it's free shipping. I don't know about you, but that's an easy feat for me. (sigh)At least this way I haven't spent the gas to get somewhere!

So far pretty much everything I've tried I've loved. Especially the laundry detergent, the facial tissues, the diapers and the skin care line (including foundation).

If you are so inclined, please feel free to check it out. You gotta shop anyway, right?
:)
(The link is also in my "loved links" bar waaaayyy down on the right-hand side.)

Whoot!

Rejoicing with the Piper family on the safe arrival of their twins, Cadence and Whitson.
Great names, right? :-D
Congrats, Molly, my friend. God has been greatly glorified by your trust of him in spite of all the unknowns.
And since I am only technically 12 weeks behind you, I'm getting a little excited about my own bundle, too. ;-D

What Do You See?

Can anyone else see a new layout?
There should be pictures of a wheat-field in the background.
When I look at my older posts they come up - but I'm thinking the poll messed things up.
I am SOOOO not a techno-geek.

Hello? Hello?

Yep.

Manzville has been pretty quiet these past few months.
It's been a good reason.
Honest.

I'll share soon.

If there are any readers left....

?

(chirp. chirp.)

Up And Running!

Hey everyone!

We finally got a new computer screen - so the extended silence will be broken soon.

It's amazing how cut-off from the world having no computer access can make you feel...

Anyway, I'd like to put up a synopsis of Hawaii - including our tsunami experience - so hopefully that will come within the next few days. With a few pictures, of course. :)

Thanks for checking on me, everyone!

In Case Anyone is Wondering Where I've Been...

I guess I should mention that I'm taking a blogging/facebook hiatus. :)

I plan (hope) to get back into the swing of things come fall when things slow down a bit - but suffice to say that we have a TON of stuff going on (nothing bad, praising God...) and computer time is hard to come by.

Thanks for checking, though! :)

Perhaps It's Stating The Obvious

... but I've renovated the blog.

Quite unintentionally, actually.
Ugh...
stay tuned...

A Sign of The Times

I didn't even turn my computer on yesterday!
I looked longingly down the hallway a couple of times - to where it sat cold and dark... but alas - no opportunity presented itself to even check email.
Speaking of neglect - the child cries so I must sign off!
:)

5 Minutes

I have only a few minutes to spare so I thought I'd do a stream-of-consciousness post. Brace yourselves:

- I let Peyton cry herself to sleep for the first time today. She was happy for the first 4 minutes, cranky for the next 5, and enraged for the next 6. Then she was silent. I peeked on her and she was sleeping peacefully in her crib. Score! (I should note that I tried it yesterday and stood - like a total dork - by the baby monitor on the counter for 15 minutes as she screamed. I couldn't take it - I went and picked her up as her sobs got more heartbroken.) This time, I plunged my hands into dishwater and literally couldn't go to her. I'm glad for the distraction of housework (tongue in cheek). Plus, today I was sure she was really and truly just tired: not hungry, wet or gassy. I feel like I've passed yet another mommy rite-of-passage.

- Have I mentioned the snow and the cold? Sheesh. They both just keep coming - minus 30 Celsius (-22 F) with windchill today. At least Peyton is dressed for it. :) Yes, red pants with a pink vest and pink baby Ugs. I love it. Clearly she does, too. (chuckle)

- I need to get a Bumbo.

- We're going back to Arizona in March! We need to get Peyton's passport. I hope she flies well... (this thought will have to be truncated for time's sake)

- Whoever invented the diaper genie deserves every cent their patent earned them.

- (Almost) 3-month old girl spit-up is one of my least favorite smells. And I think my shoulder is giving off a suspicious odor right now...

- I like margarine better than butter.

- Facebook - while enjoyable - was a little more overwhelming than I thought it would be. But thanks to everyone who has accepted or sought my friendship. :)

- Today, while nursing Peyton, the song I had used for Autumn's slide show came on the radio station I had playing. I cried and thanked the Lord for both girls: but the pain was fierce for a few minutes. That song expressed the depths of my heart during that time. The cry for faith: the trust that the Lord would take care of me because He is there always. My favorite line? "You were there in the midst of the unclear." Amen. I've only just mustered up the courage to put it on my player on the side - it really evokes a lot for me.

- I had the most tender moment yet with Peyton. While nursing her the other night I had my eyes closed and my head leaning back on the rocking chair. She paused (as she often does) so I didn't think much of it. I heard a soft coo, and looked down to find my baby girl looking up with a big smile on her face. She then proceeded to "talk" to me with big smiles and happy eyes. I couldn't help it - I laughed with tears. It felt like it came from my soul. Praise God.

- There is some sadness in setting aside outfits that are now too small for Peyton. But mostly thankfulness (and the knowledge that if I have another girl someday she'll be just as well-dressed as her sister).

- The lactation consultants (and me when I told ladies this in the hospital) are correct: although it seems as though your baby isn't getting enough milk when breastfeeding, if you keep at it (even if she has to eat every hour for a day-and-a-half... sigh) your supply will increase. We had a couple of trying days, where she needed to eat a lot more often, but she's evened out, and my supply is rocking. Truly. I'm actually gonna have to start freezing some of this stuff. :) It's so neat how God created women to meet that need... I'm amazed at my body's capability to produce.

- I'm gonna go fold the first of my 4 loads of laundry now.

- Later gators!

Watching the Rose Bowl with daddy... whom she loves in case that isn't clear. (chuckle)

I Can't Belive It

After 2 years of holding out I joined facebook today.
If I have inadvertently sent you some kind of information and you don't know me at all - I apologize.
That said: if you want to be my friend come find me! :)