Friday's Letters

Dear Emily,

Get out! I say that in the kindest way possible. If you don't make an appearance by Thursday then they'll induce me. I really don't want to do that again. I'm ready for you to be here so  can use all of your cute stuff. It's all here just waiting for you. So try your hardest to be born some time in the next few days. Okay? Okay.

Dear Dad,

I think we'd make great Amazing Race partners. We might not win on account of your bad knees and my terrible ability to do anything athletic but we would have a really fun time! 

Dear Chipmunks and Squirrels,

You are super cute to watch in the yard. You are driving my dog crazy though and in turn she is driving me crazy. She sees you out there running your fuzzy butts off all over the yard and she wants to chase you. This results in lots of jumping at the window, tons of crying, and pacing all over the house looking for anyone who might LET HER OUT TO GET YOU. If you could keep your appearances to a minimum that would be great. I'm getting tired of yelling at her to get off the glass and cleaning doggy nose smudges off of that glass.

Dear Weather,

Pick hot or cold. That is all.

Need to laugh?

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Blogtember - Life Lately- Where is this baby?

Today's prompt is "life lately".........
Well all I've been doing lately is waiting for this baby to get here. My due date is 5 days away! Our bags have been packed and re-packed. The house has been cleaned and cleaned and cleaned because I can't stop cleaning. All of her baby gear is assembled and ready to be used. Still we wait.
We talked a little bit about whether or not we would induce if we got to my due date or PLEASE NO if I go over my due date. I have really mixed feelings about it. I'm so done being pregnant. I'd love to just do an induction and have it be over with. However I keep thinking back to when I was induced with Noah. My body reacted really quickly to the Pitocin. Faster than even the doctors expected. There was no slow building of contractions for me. Just all of a sudden blinding pain. They were so strong so immediate that Noah didn't have time to adjust to them either. His heart rate dropped a little every time. That left me stuck in the bed, being monitored, with an uncomfortable oxygen mask. It was scary. It was far from what I expected, as most births are. 
So for now we're going to wait and if we get to the point where induction is unavoidable we'll talk more about what our options are. 
Until then...we just wait and wait and wait =)

The comfort of the word "No"

A while ago we were notified that an opportunity opened up for us to possibly move back to Louisiana. If you don't already know this: Our family and friends are all back home in LA. We moved here, to Illinois, last year. Pretty much from the time we got here we've been dying to get back home.

The details of this possible move were already really iffy. So many things would have had to fall perfectly in place for it to work out. The dates of the move were the scariest part. My due date is the 28th of this month. The original selection date for the position would have been September 1st. The job would begin October 1st. THAT was cutting it extremely close.

I was so overwhelmed with the stress of the situation. We would have to quickly get the house ready to sell, make the move, get Noah enrolled in school, find a new doctor immediately, all while I'm extremely pregnant. I cried every time I thought about it. OF COURSE I want to be back in LA. The timing was just awful.

I finally just stopped worrying about it and let it go. I just started praying that whatever would be best for our family would happen. Not thinking about it every day and not focusing on the stress of what could happen was wonderful. September 1st came and went. Then we found out that the dates changed. The selection was moved to October 1st with work starting right away. That pretty much sealed the deal for me. Those dates make it impossible for us to even entertain the idea of going.

Am I sad that we won't be going back home? Yes. But I know that nothing is final. There will be other opportunities in the future that could allow us to go back. Finding out that this specific situation won't work for us was a relief though. Now I can just focus on having the baby and adjusting to our new life and NOT worrying about a big move at the same time.

Sometimes we hear "No" and it comforts us. That's when you know that things are as they should be.

A book you must read ~ The Book Chat (The Book Thief)

Today's book chat is all about a book that you think everyone should read once. Our fabulous chat host, Jessica from The Tangerine. Told me I HAD to read this book a few years ago. Finally about a year ago I picked it up and fell deeply in literature love.

This book...oh this book! I went through many many tissues while reading this amazing story. The Book Thief has a great group of characters. It was hard for me to let them go after I read that final page. Just thinking about it makes me want to dive back into the story and eat up every single word.

I think it's time for a re-reading of this book.

You can read my review of the book here.

Trust me you just need to read this book. Go! Now! Get it!

The Book Thief is being made into a movie. I was worried at first because books to movies can go terribly wrong. I didn't want it to be ruined. After watching the preview I feel much better about it. All the feelings...and tears came rushing back when I watched it. I can not wait to see the movie. I only wish that I had a fellow Book Thief lover to see it with =(

Just for the record... I watched the preview AGAIN for like the 5th time and it still made me cry! I just love these characters!!!!

Do you have a book that you think everyone should read once? Link up with the book chat.

This week's Co-Host is Megan from Semi- Charmed Kind of Life I haven't read her must read book yet but I've added it to my growing every day "to read" list. Go check it out =)

Photos ~ Blogtember

I fully intended to participate everyday in Blogtember. INSTEAD I've spent almost all day every day sleeping or trying to sleep really. I'm so exhausted. I sleep horribly at night. I nap horribly during the day. Needless to say I've been very un-involved in the blogging world lately. Today's prompt is Photos. I think I can manage that!  Here are a few of my favorites.

Too much nature!

Nature is beautiful...sometimes. There is entirely too much nature going on in my back yard at the moment. I've never seen so many creatures in such a small amount of time before! Some of them I'm okay with...others not so much.

In the last 3 weeks we've seen:

A turtle. Bella stood at the door whining FOREVER because she wanted to go check it out.

Numerous frogs. There is a pond in the corn field behind our house so we see them all of the time. Joey hates frogs. He's not happy about this. They like to hang out on the outside of our sliding glass doors at night. We have a check before you open the door policy...no frogs coming inside thanks.

Spiders. Spiders. Spiders.

Baby squirrels. Super cute! Bella thought they'd make a nice snack though. She hasn't gotten any of them thankfully. Anytime we've seen her attempting to catch one she's been in trouble. No being mean to cute baby squirrels!

Grasshoppers. Where did these things come from? They are everywhere!!!!

A raccoon. Joey thought at first it was a big cat. Nope.

Lots of birds. They like to sit in the bushes around our yard. Bella sits on the deck and waits until the bushes are packed with birdies. Then she races through the bushes, flushing them out, and watched them all fly away.

I can always tell when something new has ventured into the yard no matter how small. Bella will race around the house crying and begging to go out. Her tail wags and her body wiggles. That means THERE IS SOMETHING OUT THERE AND I NEED TO GO GET IT!

I have a small zoo in my yard.

Personality Test - Blogtember

Personality tests fascinate me. I guess it's just fun to learn about yourself and why you do the things you do. Today's Blogtember prompt was to take THIS test. I actually took a test similar to this one a few years ago when I saw a therapist. The test I took back then was MUCH longer and more in depth. This one is quick and gives you a good overview of "who you are". 
I'm an ENFJ. (I was a few years ago too...but why would it change? lol) 
The basic formula for me is this:  Extravert(78%)  iNtuitive(25%)  Feeling(62%)  Judging(44%)

Some Characteristics of an ENFJ:

ENFJs know and appreciate people. They often are apt to neglect themselves and their own needs for the needs of others. They have thinner psychological boundaries than most, and are at risk for being hurt or even abused by less sensitive people. ENFJs often take on more of the burdens of others than they can bear.

They have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their grand schemes. Many ENFJs have tremendous power to manipulate others with their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. But it's usually not meant as manipulation -- ENFJs generally believe in their dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually are.

An ENFJ can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or projects simultaneously. 

ENFJs one of the most “universal” personality types and they build successful careers in a broad range of organizations and occupations. There are many ENFJs found among mid- and high-rank management roles. Sales, various social services, counseling, teaching, healthcare, community care as well as legal and paralegal services are just some of the examples of favourable occupations for ENFJs.

I think I most identify with the first characteristic. I spend a lot of time worrying about everyone around me and neglecting my own needs. Not really a good thing to do. I need to work on that! 

~Enjoy the moment~

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I really need to relax. I need to stop rushing things. I need to enjoy the moment that I'm in as I am in it. I've spent so much time lately worrying and focusing on WHEN Emily will be here that I've forgotten to stop, sit back, and enjoy what's left of my pregnancy. This will be my last one. I really feel that our family is complete. I need to savor these last few weeks and not rush them along. As many complaints as I have there are so many other wonderful moments that outnumber the aches and inconveniences.

There has been so much of this pregnancy that has been much harder than last time. I know once she's here there will be so much that I will miss though. I think it's amazing what our bodies are capable of doing. It blows my mind when I really think about it. There is a person growing inside me! A person that started out as teeny tiny cells. A person that changed and grew week by week. A person who is my daughter. I have a daughter now. That sounds crazy to me for some reason. I'll miss feeling her move...even if she keeps me awake all night. I'll miss feeling her hiccups. Noah thinks it's pretty funny that she can have the hiccups. I'll miss listening to her galloping heartbeat at my appointments.  I'll miss knowing that she's absolutely safe. It's easier to keep her safe and healthy now than it will be once she's born. She's happy in her little world right now. She's blissfully unaware of the way things are out here.

I just want to take time to enjoy this. To be present in the moment and not worry about anything that is to come.

Controversial Books - The Book Chat

The first author that comes to mind when I think about books that are controversial is Jodi Picoult. She seems to really enjoy writing books that make you think. Books that make you question your beliefs. Books that are great for debating right and wrong.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show--destroying the closest of friendships and families. Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.

Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate—a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. 

My Sister’s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child’s life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? 

Have you entered my Diamond Candles giveaway yet? 

There's still time!

Diamond Candles review and a GIVEAWAY!

A few weeks ago Diamond Candles contacted me and asked if I would like to review one of their candles. I had never heard of their company before so I popped on over to check out their website. If you, like me, have never heard the name Diamond Candles then you are missing out! Here is a little information straight from their site.

We are so glad you are here! If you don't know much about us yet we have real rings worth $10, $100, $1,000, or $5,000 in every single earth friendly, all natural soy candle that we make.

The combination of highly fragrant premium quality soy candles, an exciting and fun 'ring reveal' experience (what ring will you find?), and a ring to wear for months and years to come means making something as boring as burning candles in your home something to look forward to.

Once you burn your candle down and find your ring, head over to facebook and upload a photo or video of you and your ring for everyone else to see! You can watch some 'ring reveal' videos, or go ahead and take the plunge and get your first soy candle!

I had the hardest time trying to decide which candle to pick. I wanted them ALL! Finally I decided I wanted something that smelled clean and fresh. I chose the Sunwashed Candle. I couldn't wait to open the box and smell the candle when it arrived. I was really surprised by how large the candle was. I popped the top and inhaled deeply. It smelled great! The candle smelled just like crisp clean laundry. 

You know I lit it right away! 

It actually took me 3 days to get to my ring because we had a lot going on and we were in and out of the house constantly. Then finally I could see the foil packet! I grabbed my tweezers and fished it out.

I opened up the foil packet and the plastic baggie. My ring was revealed! I can tell my ring isn't an expensive ring but that didn't ruin the fun of the surprise. Now I have a great smelling candle and a cute piece of jewelry to wear. 

I've lit my candle every day since it arrived. It fills the house with a clean scent very quickly. I like that it's not overpowering, just very light and airy. I can tell this is a good quality product and that the candle is going to last quite a while. These candles would make really great gifts! They have so many different choices. 

If you want to know more you can check out their website, Facebook, or Twitter.

The Diamond Candles Story

So now I know you want a candle and a fun ring reveal of your own! Lucky you, just enter the giveaway below and you could be opening your very own candle soon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received a free candle from Diamond Candles for my review and giveaway. All opinions are my own