Welcome To...

New Home, New Town, Fresh Start

2011-09-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I even mentioned on this blog that my husband was looking for a new job. The one he had was sort of a dead end without much chance for promotion. The one promotion possibility that he had fell through, so it was back to the drawing board and applications were submitted. Little did we know that things would change so fast!

He decided to apply to positions in several different areas, but one of those areas was very near our "home" in PA. We thought the chances of getting the one position he wanted the most would be slim to none, but God works in mysterious ways and he had a job interview one week after applying...in PA!

To make a long story short, 4 weeks after his initial application, we were loading a moving truck and heading out of WV where we've lived the past 4 years to our home state of PA. Before that, we lived in UT, FL, and TX...so finally moving back to PA has been very exciting.

We haven't lived near family since we got married in 1998, but we now live 12 minutes from my sister and about 20 minutes from my brother...good stuff! Plus, our new home is right around the corner from CVS, Walgreen's, Rite Aid, McDonald's and a huge convenience store...and only 5 minutes from a huge, gorgeous grocery store, Lowe's, Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Target, Wal-Mart, and restaurants. We can even get pizza delivery!

I know this sounds odd to some of you reading this right now, but for the past 7 years it has taken me an hour to get to a grocery store and Wal-Mart! If we wanted to go out to eat, there was a McDonald's about 30 minutes from us and a little gas station that sold pizza...if you could even legally classify it as pizza.

The homeschool group in our new town is 400+ families and chock-full of fun activities, sports, clubs and events for the kids. There's even a mom's group that meets once a month. A night out with other moms without the kids? Music to my ears!

Plus, as an added bonus, my dear sister said she would babysit the kids so hubby and I can have regular date nights. I'm not sure I know how to go on a date anymore...and I'm sure I'm going to have to go shopping so I have something other than hole-y yoga pants and t-shirts to wear. Now I have an excuse to get some nice clothes!

Things can change so quickly...it's really mind-blowing. I can't believe I'm sitting in our gorgeous new home this morning. It's full of boxes and we've eaten out every night since Friday, but we're here. There's so much space in this house that we don't know what to do with it. And although I am counting my blessings and thanking God every day for the wonderful things He has given us, there are also a few downsides to moving from a 1200 sq. ft. house to a 2700 sq. ft. house.

**We don't have enough furniture to fill this place!

**Sometimes I can't find the kids...there are too many places for them to go!

**With 3 bathrooms, sometimes I have to run up a flight of stairs to "help" my toddlers on the potty.

**I have 3 floors and more than double the space to clean...ugh...

**Higher bills because there is more to heat and cool...and did I mention that the house I left in WV had free gas?

What I've found is that a bigger house doesn't solve all the "problems". It might fix some of them, but more are created.

I've also learned that no matter where you are, as long as your family is there, you can make it work and be happy. We were just as happy crammed into our 1200 sq. ft. house as we are here. Sure, things might be more convenient and we have more places to spread out and store our stuff, but happiness doesn't come from a big, fancy house.

Happiness ultimately comes from taking each day as it comes and enjoying this adventure called LIFE. Changes happen around every corner and I'm determined to embrace them and remember that life is not going to happen "someday" when all we get all our ducks in a row...it's happening right now, every second of every day!

Blessings!

Brandi

Squidoo Lenses by Me

2011-09-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

I would say that I haven't been blogging much because we just made a giant move to another state (new, home, new job, new homeschool laws to figure out...). More about that in another post...

But, to be perfectly honest, the main reason I've been absent is my recent discovery (and subsequent obsession) with Squidoo.

Graphic courtesy of Greekgeek

Do you know about Squidoo? It's kind of like blogging, but you create a single page on a topic and you can continue to build it over time. You can also create several detailed pages about a broader topic and link them together.

It's fun and totally addicting! Check out some of my lenses if you have time!

My Lensmaster Page

Healthy Homemade Granola Bars

Totally Free Recipe Books

Bigfoot Halloween Costumes

Best Baby Costumes

Stroller Costumes for Halloween

Bigfoot For Kids

Lilla Rose Videos

Christmas Countdown Planner

10 Funniest Songs For Kids

Lullaby Lyrics

Patriotic Lenses on Squidoo

Cutest Baby Shoes

If you love blogging, give Squidoo a try! It's a great way to promote your blog, your business, and to create backlinks to improve your Google ranking.

ENJOY!

Book Review: 100 Days To Christmas

2011-09-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Do you get overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done for the holidays? I do! I start to think about the multitude of things that I feel like I need to do in order for my family to have the best Christmas I can give them, like decorating inside and out, finding the perfect tree, buying and wrapping gifts, attending activities and events, and planning perfect holiday meals. Then there are the things we do for other people, like sending out Christmas cards (including taking the dreaded family Christmas picture), baking bread and cookies for gifts, visiting, and donating to charities.

All of these things are good things and they can be so much fun, but when you look at it all at one time, it looks like a mountain that needs to be climbed. Impossible!

How does a person even function under all of this pressure? I think I found the answer…or rather, it found me!

Recently, I had the privilege of receiving an advanced copy of a wonderful holiday planning guide called 100 Days To Christmas by Jennifer Tankersley. This ebook takes you by the hand and leads you day-by-day, step-by-step through the 100 days that lead up to Christmas, starting on September 16th. It even covers the other holidays that fall within those 100 days, to include Halloween and Thanksgiving. Along the way, you create a holiday planning binder that keeps your preparations handy and organized. I’ve tried to make a binder like this before, but I’m so excited to have step-by-step instructions for how to do it this year!

For example, here is the challenge for November 1st:

“Today’s Countdown to Christmas Challenge is to start looking through your recipes to locate favorites and keep them together in a convenient spot. If you have a copier at home, copy several of your favorite holiday recipes onto a few pages, then add these to your holiday planner under a new tabbed divider called Thanksgiving. Then, replace your recipes back to their original location for safe-keeping.”

I have to say that one of my favorite things about this book is that it encourages a balanced life while you are planning for the holidays. By tackling one thing at a time, one day at a time, you won’t have to spend a disproportionate amount of time on your holiday preparations. The book also challenges you on certain days to do something other than holiday planning, such as implementing a game night with your family over the long winter months.

If you get behind, don’t worry! Saturdays are designated as a “catch-up” day for the challenges you weren’t able to complete the week before.

As a bonus, the book is also full of helpful links to some of Jennifer’s lists from her website, ListPlanIt.com.

Ready to start planning for your holidays? Click HERE to download this book for just $4.99. It is worth every penny!

Jennifer Tankersley, the author of 100 Days of Christmas, is also the founder and owner of ListPlanIt.com. Are you a listmaker? You will LOVE this website!

Are you ready to start planning for the holidays?

Blessings!

Brandi

P.S. There are affiliate links in this post. :)

A Rich Man

2011-08-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty."

-- Unknown

Blessings!

Brandi

Lilla Rose Giveaway!

2011-08-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kara over at Mine For The Making for hosting a Lilla Rose giveaway this week!

Two lucky readers will receive a ticket for a FREE Flexi-clip of their choice (up to $15)!

Head over there now to get your entries!

Blessings!

Brandi

Hypocritical Parenting

2011-08-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last night, I was standing at my back door with plate in hand, finishing off the last of my dinner while watching the younger boys play in the kiddie pool. My daughter walked up to me with a corn muffin in her hand and I said, "We don't walk around with food in our hands. If you are eating, you belong at the table!"

"But, Mom...YOU'RE not eating at the table!"

Yes, she was right...I was being a hypocrite.

Have you ever yelled at your kids, "It's not nice to yell at each other!"

Or have you ever swatted your child's behind and said, "We don't hit!"

Do you get onto your kids about not making their beds while your own bed is undone?

Do you preach about eating healthy food so their bodies can be strong while sneaking a carton of ice cream after they go to bed? (Guilty!)

Hmmm...hypocritical, right?

So, as parents, how do we not fall into the "Do as I say, not as I do" routine?

I decided to look and see what the Bible has to say about hypocrisy. There are many verses that address this, but the passage that stuck out to me, in regards to how we behave with our own children, is Matthew 7:4-5:

"How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (NIV)

I know this passage and I've always tried to apply it to my life...outside of my home. But have I been diligent in making sure I apply it inside my home, with my husband and my children? Sadly, I would have to say that the answer is a definite "no".

Did you realize that if you followed all of the rules that you have set forth for your children, parenting would make you an infinitely better person? I believe that God has a plan for parents, beyond raising Godly children. I believe He has given us children in order to change us...to challenge us to become more Godly!

Make a point today to take a second look at the rules you have in your home.

Are you following all of the rules? Or are you being a hypocritical parent? (I need to work on this!)

Are your rules reasonable, or are you expecting too much from your children? If you can't follow the rule, is it reasonable to expect them to?

Do you have so many rules that your children can't enjoy their home? If so, which ones could you stand to get rid of? Let's learn to not expect perfection from our children. No one is perfect outside of Christ, least of all me!

Lord, please help me to see the areas in my life where I am being a hypocrite, whether with my children or my husband or outside of my home. Change me, Lord, into the person that you created me to be. Make me a good role model for my children in everything I do. Help me to lead with actions instead of mere words. Amen.

Blessings!
Brandi

Shouting Out

2011-08-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my favorite things that are happening online this week!

The Better Mom is a brand new blog that just launched today by an awesome mom of 4 named Ruth. Head over to check out the long list of amazing contributors and enter the launch week giveaways! Today's giveaway: Ruth's Favorite Things!

Today on Mine For The Making, Kara featured me in her Sponsor Spotlight! Head over and check it out! And keep your eye out for a Lilla Rose giveaway on Kara's blog this week!

Homeschool Library Builder is my favorite stop for stocking up my homeschool shelves! The site owners are so sweet and always include a personal note on my invoice...I love that! Their bin sale, going on right now, is a must-see. I always raid the $1 and $2 bins and come away with some real treasures! If you link to them from your website, you receive 75 book points (worth $3) in your account. If you head over, would you kindly put my name (Brandi Bush) in the referral section so I can get some points toward my book purchase? Thanks!

I am a new sponsor over at Key Lime Digital Designs. Kendra has some great tips for blogging and does gorgeous custom blog design. Check out her Blog in a Box ~ cute idea! Kendra will be doing a complete overhaul on my blog in the very near future.

The New Home Ec is another blog that just launched today on Babble that I am really looking forward to! One of the contributors is my favorite blogger, Ashley over at LilBlueBoo. Her clothing designs are so adorable and her patterns are easy to follow...great for a beginning sewer like me! Click here to see a dress I made from one of her tutorials (my daughter is the one in pink and green!).

Have fun browsing!

Blessings!
Brandi

Summer Kids Pics

2011-07-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe July is almost over! Where has the summer gone? In just a month, we will be starting our new school year. I thought I'd post a few pictures of the fun we've been having...before it ends way too quickly!

Lots of snuggles and love...

Taking time to stop and smell the...tiger lillies!

Acting like monkeys in the trees...

Napping in the fresh air...

...and napping in the air conditioner!

Working in the garden...

...and playing in the rain!

Sunny day fun...

...and rainy day fun!

Enjoying the simple blessings that summer brings...

Blessings!

Brandi

CNN Hero: "Mother Robin"

2011-07-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Did you see this week's CNN Hero?

"Mother Robin" is a midwife in Indonesia, providing prenatal and postpartum care to some of the most impoverished women in the world. A lot of these women would be unable to receive care if not for this midwife and her team.

Did you know that in some hospitals in Indonesia a woman cannot take her baby home until her hospital bill is paid? Sometimes, they wait outside for hours and hours until they can get in to feed or diaper their own baby. This is heartbreaking!

It is an inspiring story of how one woman is making a difference...in a big way! If you get a chance, head over and read it!

Blessings!

Brandi

Free Recipe Booklets

2011-07-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a ton of free cookbooks I found while browsing the web for recipes. I absolutely love getting the print editions in the mail, but I also found some really great downloadable ones. Enjoy!

Print:

Kitchen Basics: Healthy Cooking With Stock

Australian Lamb: A World of Flavor

JIFFY Mix: Hospitality in a "JIFFY"

Sun-Maid: Fruit and Sunshine (also PDF)

Sun-Maid: The New Taste of Tradition (also PDF)

Gooseberry Patch: Fall Favorites (also PDF)

Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter Recipes

Smucker's Classic Cookie Recipes

Farmer's Market Collection

Crohn's Cookbook

PDF Downloads:

Furmano's

Sun Maid: Recipes for Healthier Eating

Gooseberry Patch: Family Favorite Recipes

Eagle Brand (scroll to bottom of page)

Delicious Living

Sorrento's: For The Love Of Lasagna

Low-Budget Vegetarian

Wisconsin Cheese: Kitchen Kids

Bick's: Unleash the Flavor

Click HERE to see the updated list and other fun stuff!

Blessings!

Brandi

Free Shipping ~ Support Tiggy's House!

2011-07-22T02:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I wrote this post about how I'm using my Lilla Rose business to help build Tiggy's House. The orders have been coming in and I'm excited to say that I'll have a check to send to Dana at the end of the month. But I'm hoping to make that check bigger than it is!

A full 30% of your purchase price is going directly to build Tiggy's House. I'm also offering a certificate for a free Flexi-clip on any orders of $50 or more from my website. Plus, the deal for you just got better!

For 2 days only, Lilla Rose is offering FREE SHIPPING on any order of $20 or more!

They only offer this occasionally, so take advantage! This free shipping offer is for today and tomorrow only...July 22nd and 23rd.

Here's a quick video about the Flexi-clip and how to choose the right size:

Flexi-clips are really great. They are easy to use and they stay in place. And they're gorgeous! I slept in my half-up last night and woke up to a perfect "do"!

Blessings!
Brandi

My Compost Garden

2011-07-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

After having my daughter in April, I knew I wouldn't get a good start on my garden this year. I eventually recovered from the birth enough to get some green beans, watermelons, cantaloupe, and pumpkins planted, but had resigned myself to no tomatoes because I hadn't started them early in the spring.

One day, we were showing our house to potential buyers when the woman said, "Look! You have tomatoes growing in your compost!"

Sure enough, there amongst the scraps of food and broken eggshells, there were two perfect tomato plants thriving in the compost muck. Upon further investigation, we also found a couple of ultra-healthy cantaloupe plants, already flowering, and a gorgeous hot pink lily! Now, I know we've thrown tomato and cantaloupe seeds in the compost, but where that lily came from, I'll never know!

My husband staked up the tomato plants and they are now getting gorgeous fruit on them. One of them has perfect bite-sized morsels and the other is yielding big tomatoes for slicing. I am so excited and feel so blessed that the Lord gave me these plants when He knew I wouldn't be able to grow them myself!

I am linking up to the Garden Link Party over at Centsational Girl and Frugal Gardening 101 Link-Up sponsored by Smockity Frocks and Amy's Finer Things.

Blessings!

Brandi

Free Homeschool Resources

2011-07-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've been browsing the web this past week, searching for curriculum for our homeschool, and I came across a ton of great free resources for homeschoolers that I wanted to share with any homeschooling readers I might have. I tried to make it easy to browse through by breaking it down by subject. Hope you find something that you like!

**There are no affiliate links in this post**

ALL SUBJECTS

Sheppard Software ~ Tons of fun games for preschool to 8th grade in all major subjects.

MATH

NumberNut ~ Love this site! Explanations of math concepts and fun activities. Elementary to advanced. Scroll down the homepage for a tour of the website.

MathVids ~ Excellent instructional videos, especially for more difficult high school subjects. I watched a couple of these and they are easy to understand and don't take any time to load.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Basic Cozy Spelling Course ~ Complete 30-lesson spelling course for Grades 6 thru 8. I'll be doing one lesson per week with my 6th grader this year.

Wordsearch Maker ~ Free downloadable software for creating your own word searches. Makes very professional looking puzzle sheets and is easy to use. Use it with your spelling words from the Basic Cozy Spelling Course listed above!

SCIENCE

The Science Bank ~ We will definitely be using this website this year! Borrow science resources for free (just pay return shipping), including videos, charts, books, software, models, and even simulated dissection kits. Something for all grades.

Columbus Zoo ~ I love Jack Hanna! This is a link to Jungle Jack's Animal Guide. Very fun interactive world map, great for all ages to explore!

Smithsonian ~ Speaks for itself...tons of really amazing stuff here. I plan on letting my kids explore this site before we take them to D.C. this year to visit the museums!

SOCIAL STUDIES

A Book In Time ~ History resources and crafts. I especially love the extensive reading lists on this site. All ages.

American Heritage ~ Free history curriculum for K-12. Download from their website or order a free lesson plan CD. Donations are accepted.

ART

smARTkids ~ An interactive website that makes art appreciation fun. Very fun website to explore...my kids love this one!

MUSIC

SFSKids (San Francisco Symphony) ~ Educational and fun! Graphics are eye-catching...try out The Music Lab! All ages.

PRESCHOOL

LetterOfTheWeek ~ Totally free complete preschool curriculums, progressing from "Preparatory Curriculum" to "Letter of the Week" to "Sound of the Week" to "Story of the Week"! 4 years of free curriculum! Also offers free curriculum guides for higher grades, although I can't speak to this personally, as I've never used them.

OTHER

CyberSmart! ~ Awesome free computer curriculum! I will definitely be using this one throughout the year. Click on the links to the left to access lessons by grade level or topic. K thru 12.

I would love to hear from you if you use any of these free resources. Tell me what you think!

Blessings!
Brandi

And speaking of homebirth...

2011-07-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

Did you see this article, fresh off the presses, about the increase in C-sections in the U.S.?

Devastating statistics...

Carter's Homebirth: Part 2

2011-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

You can read the first part of Carter's Homebirth HERE.

It was midnight...

I was timing these contractions at 10 minutes apart and I knew for sure that they were real. I had been having false contractions for weeks, but as soon as these started, I immediately remembered what real contractions felt like. Isn't it funny how quickly you forget? It had only been 20 months earlier that I had been in labor with Jack!

At 12:30, I decided to call my midwife. I have a history of fast labors and she was over an hour away, so I figured I better give her a heads-up. It was a good thing I called because while I was talking to her, my contractions immediately jumped from 10 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart! Needless to say, she left immediately and I was glad she already had her bags packed!

I have to admit, at this point I was a little worried that she and her assistant were not going to make it in time. They were traveling together, so if one didn't make it, neither did the other! At this point, I woke my husband and he woke my mother-in-law, which in turn woke our 3-year old daughter, Addy. Suddenly, there was bustling activity all through the cabin as we prepared the bed and the table full of supplies. We put out a basket of snacks that I had prepared ahead of time in case of a long labor.

I walked around the house. It felt amazing to be able to walk during labor! In my previous hospital births, I was told to stay in bed because my water had broke. How torturous to have to lay still during contractions!

I went into my "zone". A couple of hours went by and I barely even noticed when the midwife and her helper arrived. They busied themselves with preparations and took my blood pressure a couple of times, but other than that, they left me alone to "do my thing". It was comforting to know they were there if I needed them, and also liberating to not be hooked up to an IV and monitoring machines.

A little after 4:00 a.m., I decided to get into the birthing tub. This thing had been blown up in our dining area for a couple of days and I remember thinking..."Finally! I get to finally get into this thing!".

All I can say is WOW! If you have never experienced labor in the water, you should consider it for your next birth. It was amazing! I'm not going to say that the contractions became less intense, but they somehow became easier for me to handle. The water was so soothing and I could sit on my knees and lean against the side of the tub, releasing some of the pain from my back. Especially at the end of the labor, the contractions were easier...they never came right on top of each other like they had in the past, so I felt like I had time to catch my breath in between.

My daughter got in the birth tub with me. She thought she was in a swimming pool and had a grand time splashing around and floating around me. Luckily, I was feeling pretty calm and was able to handle it for most of the time, but about 15 minutes before the birth, I had to have her get out.

At this point, my mother-in-law woke my 9-year old son so he could be present during the birth. He was in the hospital room when Jack was born, so he really wanted to be a part of this birth as well.

My labor progressed pretty quickly from there. I was only in the tub for about an hour when I suddenly felt the pressure of the baby. He came out on his own, no pushing on my part at all. My water never broke until he was on his way out. He was delivered into the water, but no one else knew because it was kind of dark in the house. As soon as I caught my breath, I told my midwife that he was in the water. My husband reached in and lifted him out.

He was so gorgeous! His head was perfectly round and his color was perfect. He didn't even really cry except to get his lungs cleared out. I sat in the birth tub and snuggled him for about 10 minutes, but our drafty cabin was pretty cold that night, so we had to get him closer to the woodstove. He was handed over to my mother-in-law while my husband helped me to the shower.

I felt amazing and I couldn't believe that I was standing in the shower just 15 minutes after giving birth! Then, I went to my bed and the baby nursed for awhile and then slept soundly. My husband also napped and my mother-in-law and the kids went back to bed. Even the midwives took turns closing their eyes for a rest.

I was the only one who couldn't sleep. I was so high on adrenaline. All I could do was stare at this precious new baby...I couldn't believe he was finally here! It is so sweet to hold a newborn and to know that he fits with you, wholly and completely. To know that the Lord created me to be his mama...it's a feeling I don't even have words for.

Later that morning, my husband prepared an egg breakfast for everyone. It was so wonderful to be sitting at my own dining room table, with my family, holding the new baby in my own home just hours after delivery. I felt so blessed to be "on the other side" of labor and to be holding a healthy, 8 lb. baby boy in my arms.

He was born on December 8th, 2009...our only winter baby. We named him Carter Ellett. Ellett is my late grandfather's first name, although he always went by the name "Andy". I want all of my boys to be the kind of man that my grandfather was, so we thought it fitting to give one of them his name.

Today, Carter is a busy toddler, learning to climb and run and keep up with his older brothers and sister.

We have since added another precious child to our family, so Carter is a big brother. Her homebirth story is still to come.

Blessings!

Brandi

Help Build Tiggy's House

2011-07-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have recently become a consultant for Lilla Rose, a company that specializes in beautiful, quality hair jewelry. I originally signed up just for the discount on their products. However, I've decided to use my online store for a very worthy cause. For the next 6 months, I will be donating my commissions to the building of Tiggy's House, a home for needy children in poverty-stricken Nepal, through Tiny Hands International.

If you read my blog, you know I am a mom of 5 children and it breaks my heart to think that there are children in this world who do not receive the love and care that my children have. When I read about Tiggy’s House, I just knew I had to get involved. Please visit the website to read more about Dana's mission to build this home in the memory of her child, Mattias, who had more love in his short life than many children will receive in their lifetime.

To make a purchase in support of Tiggy's House, please go directly to http://www.lillarose.biz/sweetsimplicity or click on the Lilla Rose button in this post or on the sidebar. Make sure you are at my personal website, Sweet Simplicity, so Tiggy’s House will receive the commission.

Please be sure to watch the video(s) at the bottom of the online store page if you are going to order Flexi-clips so you know what sizes to order and see how they work. They are really amazing and they work in ALL hair types…even very fine or very thick hair. Our products are very high quality and carry a one-year guarantee. We also have beautiful beaded headbands, sticks, bobbies, and our newest product, You-Pins. Personally, I think if you are a woman and you have hair, you NEED to have a Flexi-clip! And get one for your daughters and grand-daughters, as well…they are so lovely and they will receive many compliments. If you have questions, please contact me through the website or at my blog: http://mountainmorning.blogspot.com/. You can also email me directly at momswithmanyhats@hotmail.com. Please reference Tiggy’s House in the subject line of all correspondence.

**As an added bonus, until August 31st, anyone who spends $50 or more (before shipping) will receive a certificate for a FREE hair clip. You will receive the certificate, and directions for how to redeem it, in the mail separate from your order, directly from me. This is my gift to you for helping build Tiggy’s House!**

30% of all purchases made between the dates of July 14, 2011 and January 15, 2012 will be donated.

I feel so honored to have a way to help in the building of Tiggy’s House. Thank you for your purchases that will make this possible!

Also, if you are a blogger and you would like to help out, please feel free to place my button on your blog, linking it to http://www.lillarose.biz/sweetsimplicity.

Blessings!

Brandi

Carter's Homebirth: Part 1

2011-07-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

A year and a half ago, I promised to write Carter's birth story...it feels like just yesterday...

We were living in a cabin on a ridge in West Virginia, heated only by a central woodstove and one mile from the paved road. It was the first week of December 2009, it was cold, and we were headed into the most difficult winter that part of the country had seen in quite a few years.

I was also 40 weeks pregnant and praying for the safe arrival of our newest little one. He would be our fourth child and our third son. So far, the snow had held out and our road was still passable.

I have a history of fast labors and the nearest hospital was an hour away. The small rural hospital where I gave birth to Jack a year and a half earlier had since closed its maternity ward. Driving to the city in the middle of labor in December was just not an option.

Finding a midwife out in these rural parts would prove to be impossible. Unfortunately, there are many areas in West Virginia that do not have access to good maternity care...either through a medical system or through midwifes and doulas. Luckily, we found a midwife in the city that was willing to travel more than an hour to get to us. She was wonderful and I liked her right away. I knew we were making the right choice.

As the due date approached, I prepared mentally by watching videos of home births and scouring the internet for every story I could find. Although alone out on the ridge, I felt very connected to these other women who had experienced incredible births and I drew much-needed strength from their stories. I looked forward to my monthly and weekly visits with my midwife. She doubled as my therapist as I poured out my fears and my excitement on her each time.

My mother-in-law arrived a week before my due date. We busied ourselves with cleaning the house, entertaining the other 3 children, and preparing freezer meals for after the birth. It was a fun time, but I remember feeling like a watched clock. Every night we would go to bed and I just felt like the whole house was holding their breath, waiting for me to go into labor.

Finally, one night while we were up late watching TV, I felt the first contractions. I had been feeling false labor for at least a week and a half, so I didn't say anything to my husband and mother-in-law. I thought for sure these were real, but I wanted to be certain. We went to bed and my husband fell straight to sleep while I laid there with my eyes wide open, watching the clock and timing the waves that were now coming at a steady pace.

It was midnight.

(to be continued...)

Click HERE for Part 2!

Coming Home

2011-07-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long, but I am returning to this blog. I considered starting a new one, and even typed away somewhere else for a few months, but decided that I'm more comfortable coming back "home". I am so excited to be back in writing mode.

I had a beautiful home birth (actually, it turned into a hotel birth...long story coming soon!) in April, adding a baby girl to our family. I will have to update my sidebar soon with new pictures of the kids. I can't believe how they have grown since I left!

I am looking forward to catching up on all the blogs I used to read and re-connecting with old friends. I hope you haven't all given up on me!

It's so nice to be "home"!

Blessings!

Brandi

Overdue Picture Post

2010-09-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Funny how "tomorrow" can turn into "2 weeks from now" in a heartbeat! One thing you must know about me is that I am always late...with everything...seriously. Ask anyone who knows me. If I tell you 6:00, you automatically think 6:30. If I tell you I will definitely get your birthday card out on time this year, count on it at least a week later...if at all! And, when my due date is May 20th, that baby's gonna stick around until at least the 22nd.

An unappealing trait, I know...

So, when I posted that I would have an update "tomorrow", what I really meant was I would have an update when my crazy life slows down a bit, which is never, so the fact that you are reading this right now is a miracle of the greatest proportions.

Here is the long-awaited (by whom, I don't know) update...if anyone still pops by here from time to time:

The J.O.B.

I won't bore you with details, but hubby was blessed with a steady, reliable job...and not only that, but he was able to start the very same week that his temporary position ended. What a blessing!

When I wrote this post over a year ago about the changes that were coming in our life, I didn't realize how the Lord was working everything together.

The New House

The only bad part about the new job was that hubby had to drive 90 minutes both ways. And we weren't getting any bites on our house. After a few months of driving, which lasted over the very looooong, horrendous winter, he was DONE! Mentally, I mean. We decided that he couldn't do another winter like that on the road, so we started looking at homes in the town where his job is.

Let me tell you, it's a small college town and there is not much of a housing market. Over the next couple months, we looked at close to 30 homes, even branching out to towns within 45 minutes. Some of the homes would have worked, but we didn't feel like they were "the one". We even put an offer in on one home, but during our inspection, we discovered it was full of mildew and mold...we were sick for a week after the walkthrough. Not the house for us!

Finally, after 6 long months of searching, we found out that one of hubby's co-workers was being transferred. His property sounded like what we were looking for, so we scheduled a showing before it ever hit the market. We knew it was right as soon as we drove down the lane and we had an accepted offer before we had even arrived back home that evening.

We moved in on July 1st. We still don't have a contract on our other house.

The Kids

The kids love it here at the new house. They have a tire swing that they play on every day...

...and a hill that they take turns riding Jack's big wheel down and "crashing" into the garden below.

They have toys galore, but never cease to amaze me with what they decide to spend their time doing. The newest craze is chess...

Benjamin taught Addy and this morning, Addy was teaching Jack. I can't tell you how cute it is to hear a 4-year old say to a 2-year old: "Yeh, that's right! You got my pawn! Good job!"

School started last week and we have been busy with all that entails. Last week the kids made a water lens. It was a big hit...

Carter is almost 9 months old...unbelievable. He's a joy and the older kids dote on him like crazy.

I'll post some new pictures of him next time.

We recently found out that we are expecting #5 in April 2011. I will admit, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, but overjoyed at the thought of having another little one to love.

Critters

Our new place came with a few new critters.

We inherited 4 cats, but we didn't realize one of them was pregnant. 2 weeks after moving in, she had 6 kittens. 2 weeks later, she stopped feeding them, but since they're outside cats, we didn't find out until it was too late. So, we still have just 4 cats.

We also inherited 19 chickens, one of which was laying on a nest which hatched out 4 chicks. Then, we decided that watching chicks was really fun, so we put another broody hen on a nest and she hatched out 2. Then, one of the hens we brought with us decided to lay on a nest and she had 7! So, we now have more than 30 chickens.

And then, of course, there's the dog. She is a sweetie, but she can't hold her bladder, so she has also been relegated to the outside.

Blessings!

Brandi

So much to say...

2010-08-16T20:51:00.002-07:00

...and so little time to say it!

Wow, a lot has happened since my last blog.

1) Hubby got a great new job!

2) We've moved!

3) And...Blessing #5 is due in April 2011!

Details tomorrow...

Blessings!
Brandi

Seasons

2010-04-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

I am finally coming out of a season of hibernation. I tend to "disappear" from this blog from time to time. I used to be embarrassed about that. I wish that I could be like those other bloggers who write interesting, witty posts every single day for months, or even years. But I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not like those bloggers and that's okay. I often suffer from "blogging burnout" and I have to separate from it for awhile.

For now, I'm back...although I don't know for sure how long that will last! My goal is to update at least once a week with things we are doing out here on the ridge and pictures of the kids for our families. We are quite busy and I have so many things to post about and so many pictures to show...

I'll never get caught up, but I'll just start fresh from where we are.

Jack turned 2 yesterday! Oh my...I remember posting about his birth and it seems like yesterday. Addy will be 4 in a week and a half and Benjamin will be 10 in a month. The baby is almost 5 months old already! Where does the time go?

We haven't sold our house yet. It was a very difficult winter out here and we didn't have many showings. They are starting to pick up now and I think it will happen sometime soon. We get tons of great feedback about the house. It's built with these beautiful hand-hewn beams that were salvaged from a 200+ year old barn in Virginia. But the property seems to be a bit "rustic" for most people. Our water comes from a spring and our road is dirt for a mile off the black top. We don't have air conditioning and we heat solely with a wood stove. We can't get high-speed internet and only one cell phone company works out here. It's actually quite amusing to watch "city folk" view our property. Even those that think they want a simpler lifestyle aren't quite ready when they see it in action. We keep praying for the right buyers to come along, but we know that God's timing is impeccable.

I'd still like to post my homebirth story, but just haven't had the time to write it all out. It was pretty amazing and I remember every detail. When the time comes, I'll get it on paper.

Speaking of selling the house, I have a showing at 5:30. I should be cleaning...

Blessings!

Brandi

Finally...New Photos!

2010-03-05T03:17:00.000-08:00

These are for you, Papa and Nonny!

ENJOY!

Our Newest Blessing

2009-12-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

Introducing...

Carter Ellett Bush
Born 12/8/09
8 lbs. 2 oz.
19 3/4 in.

Carter was born during a planned home waterbirth and lifted out by his Daddy. It was officially the most amazing experience of my life! He is perfect, healthy, happy and content.

I am doing very well and recovering quickly. The home birth was everything I thought it might be and more! I'll try to post my birth story soon.

Blessings!
Brandi

Changes in the works...

2009-08-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged much this week. It's been complete chaos in our house as we have been preparing to list our house for sale. There are a lot of changes in our immediate future and yesterday we took a couple of giant leaps in the right direction.

For one, my husband had a job interview. It's a good job and we're hopeful he will get the position. His current job ends on the 15th of this month, the new one would begin around the middle of September. The timing is perfect, as we might even be able to work out a move to happen during the few weeks in between. Please pray that God's Will will be done and everything will work according to His timing.

Also, we interviewed a couple of realtors and finally got the house listed last evening. We are quite excited that the house is listed at a lot more than what we bought it for. It was basically a shell when we bought it, more like a hunting cabin than a home. We have drywalled, added a kitchen, remodeled a bathroom, trimmed out windows, fixed the hardwood floors, added 2 decks, a workshop, and a chicken coop, and even put a bedroom addition on the first floor. A lot of heart has gone into this home over the last 2 years and we are so proud of the results. We love it here and would stay if we could, but we just feel that it is time to move on to the next thing ~ whatever that may be!

We are exhausted. We have worked every waking hour of every day the last week, putting in the last finishing touches, cleaning, decorating, and researching realtors and competitive properties. We also started school on Monday, so it's been a little stressful. Today, I feel a little lighter just knowing that it's hit the market and all we can do is maintain order and wait!

Of course, my hubby jumped on the phone every time it rang today, thinking that it was the realtor wanting to show the house. I had to remind him it hasn't even been listed for 24 hours. This is where we learn patience!

I will keep you all updated and hope to have good news for you very soon!

Blessings!
Brandi

P.S. For safety purposes, I'm not putting listing information on my blog. However, if you want to see the house listing and I know you from reading my blog, email me and I'll send you the link. Thanks!

Sunday Swatches ~ 7/26/09

2009-07-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday Swatches
(I hope to have a button made for next week!)

Sorry this is late getting posted today...photos have been taking forever to load today! Very frustrating! I'll start earlier next week...

I ended up getting a few things knocked off of my to-do list for last week. You can see some of my finished projects HERE. My photos are loading awfully slow today, so I will post more pictures of things I've completed tomorrow.

Last week was all about Pillows and Painting...this week the theme is Framing! I have pictures galore that I would love to get up on my walls. Some I will need to purchase frames for, some frames will be re-purposed or re-positioned, and I have a neat idea for some herb prints that I hope will work out.

First, I'll tell you where some of the pictures will be coming from. My friend gave me two old art boxes that were her dad's. He was an artist in New York, known for his work with Steuben Glass, but he also dabbled in other areas, such as sculpting, painting, and architecture.

This box isn't in very good shape and had a bunch of old paints and trash inside:

But this box, on the other hand, held some real treasures!

Inside, I found several beautiful, simple watercolors:

There were some great paintbrushes and a complete pack of 25 sheets of watercolor block that were purchased by the artist in Europe.

I want to frame some of the watercolors of fruits and veggies and hang them in my kitchen. A couple others might go somewhere else in my house. My friend was just going to throw them away...can you believe that? I also have an idea for the boxes themselves, but I'll have to see if I have time to tackle that project this week.

I also have this book called A Sampler of Wayside Herbs. The book itself is good reading, but there are also some beautiful prints inside.

I was going to mat and frame some of the prints, but I think I have a better idea. I'll let you know next week if it worked!

These mermaid paintings were given to me by my mom when Addison was born. They are absolutely beautiful!

They are painted by an artist named Robert Kline (Warning, for those of you concerned with modesty: Some of his work is graphic and not in the least "modest"!) from St. Augustine, Florida. I have been wanting to frame them for more than 2 years, but just haven't gotten around to it. They've been propped up in my stairwell since we moved here and now I think it's time to finally give them the proper adornment!

That oughta keep me busy this week. I can't wait to see these on my walls!

How about you? What projects do you have planned? Leave a comment if you decide to join me this week!

Blessings!

Brandi