GroshLink

Another visit to the doctor this morning showed a little bit of progress. She declared me at 3cm (which is up one since Friday). Yesterday and a little bit today I've been having contractions, though nothing regular. Not the labor kind. But apparently they are doing something, so that's good. I don't have to go to the doctor on Friday, but I'm scheduled for next Tuesday, if I need it (here's hoping I won't!). At that visit they will do an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid level and I'll have a non-stress test which is where they compare the baby's heartrate when she moves to when she's resting. I had a lot of those with Hayley and Ellen. And I'm on the schedule for a c-section for June 13, just b/c it's easier on the hospital to have it on their schedule. If I get that far (a week late, heaven forbid!) and everything still looks fine, I can still wait. And unless I'm going insane, I intend to wait as long as possible so as to avoid the c-section. A c-section recovery would make caring for Eden much more difficult. In case you're wondering, they will not induce me because it increases the risk of complications due to my previous c-section. So, that's the story from the Land of Waiting.  Stay tuned :)

PS. This baby has hiccups.

I recently became acquainted with the world of CVS Extra Care Bucks (ECB) shopping.  Don't confuse acquainted with obsessed.  I'm only dabbling.  The gist of it is, if you have a CVS Extra Care card (a free card like most grocery stores have) they track your buying habits and periodically send you coupons that most often print on the bottom of your receipts, though sometimes come via email.  Each week CVS offers items for sale and if you buy them you earn ECB.  Sometimes the bucks require a purchase (such as save $4 when you spend $20) and sometimes they are just free bucks (such as $2 off any purchase).  Some clever people have figured out how to leverage these ECB deals and rarely spend more than $2 a week to purchase  scads of items at CVS.  The whole thing has proven too complicated for my mind, but like I said, I've dabbled.  Read on if you want minute details about my bargains. 

Here's what I did recently:

What a blast!  Last night, Ellen & Hayley cheered the Barnstormers to a victory in the first game of a doubleheader and then paraded the field as part of a reading program sponsored by Millersville University.  Record it in the books as another fun outing w/Phil, Susan and their boys!  Of course the cotton candy, kettle corn, and Turkey Hill ice cream were all good treats :-)

On Sunday, while chatting with Amy, I commented on our family's short supply of Homemade Granola. Amy suggested I step up and make some ... so I enlisted Ellen and Hayley to help me. Now it's mostly gone as I shared some with my parents, Ellen shared some with a friend at school during snack time, Theresa used some in a recipe for granola bars ... and we've all had some to eat at home.

Last summer we desired a little more topsoil to fill some low areas which fill with water during storms and create puddles where grass hasn't grown well.  But a few weeks ago when our family discussed the idea of more topsoil to cover the clay on the sandmound, which was only supporting clumps of grass, it seemed so 'out-of-reach' that there was frustration. ... BUT God has provided a gift of topsoil and it's transportation through Brothers-in-Christ from our local congregation.  Praise God!  Note:  We'll share pictures when it arrives sometime next week.

This morning was a good morning of yard sale-ing (i.e. the act of visiting yard sales).  One time I told someone I went yard-sale-ing and they thought it was some kind of new sport.  In a way, maybe, it is.  I prefer the development yard sales b/c you can hit more than one in one trip and they tend to have newer items.  I suppose that may be the one thing developments are good for.  Ooh, sorry if I offended anyone.  To the uninitiated, allow me to share a few yard sale-ing tips.

It is nearly completed -- our experiment in small scale agriculture. Some may scoff and say, It's just a chicken coop! but those of us more enlightened ones know better. A chicken tractor, to the uninitiated, is simply a portable chicken coop, designed to be moved to any desired area of the yard or garden. There are various designs, but ours has a small house at one end with a door that opens to allow our fine feathered friend, Lucky, to descend to the ground where he has modified free range, meaning he can walk around within an enclosed area. The tractor component means that Lucky fertilizes his free range area. In this way, the chicken tractor can be used to enrich gardens and flowerbeds. I might consider moving him onto our garden in the fall after harvest. One chicken isn't going to be a prolific fertilizer. But the tractor is big enough for 3 chickens. I'm sticking to my guns and not getting additional chickens this year. But if all goes well through the winter Lucky may have some companions next spring.

This morning marks a milestone in my life -- the first time that I ever won a radio call-in contest! Each Friday WJTL FM 90.3 offers prizes to anyone who celebrated their birthday within the past week. This morning the second caller was the winner and I was the second caller! I was really surprised.  I won a birthday cake, a jar candle, and a CD (don't know the artist yet). I knew this contest was coming up at the end of the week, so I had my ear open for it this morning.  I just can't believe I won!

Where did this idea come from?