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Blue Note Birth Announcement

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Stationery card

Blue Note Birth Announcement

Announcements for all occasions: graduation, a new baby, or wedding.

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Baby Progress...............20 weeks!

The days are starting to get hotter and my students are getting really antsy - which means summer is on it way!  Two milestones are occuring simultaneously around our place - the end of our first school year since our return to Kansas is QUICKLY approaching (and my first as a full time teacher) - and we're already past the 1/2 mark through our pregnancy. 

The above photo is from week 20 - which was actually last week.  THIS WEEK, we had our sonogram which has really allowed things to set in for us.  While I had been able to feel the baby moving for the past week or so - its not quite strong enough for Ben to feel/see anything.  So, for him to be able to see the baby actively moving, pointing and reaching for his/her toes really helped solidify the fact that we need to start making plans for baby! (For both of us!)

We decided to forego finding out the baby's gender - which was a much tougher decision than I had originally intended.  Shopping for gender neutral baby garb is tough - but ultimately I'm glad we choose to wait.  I anticipate it being one of the best surprises of our lives.  We have started to hash out baby names, room themes and ideas on cloth diapering - and we find ourselves laughing and disagreeing more than agreeing BUT we have very similar views on parenting so I'm confident we'll be just fine. 

Up to this point, I hadn't felt like sharing the progress of our pregnant belly because it had felt less pregnant and more "full".  But its very clearly a baby bump these days - which makes it easier to look at, shop for and photograph now that its clearly baby's home.  So expect more photos during the 2nd half of our pregnancy!

True to form.

What a cliff hanger....I'm sorry that I left so many people in a lurch! 

True to form, my husband is a terrible secret keeper.  There's a reason why he doesn't buy my birthday or Christmas gifts more than a day or two in advance - not because he's a procrastinator (well maybe just a little) but because he gets so excited that he can't possibly keep it to himself.  There are two beautiful turquoise bracelets that were meant to be Christmas gifts that never made it past September.  Bless his heart.

So, even though I begged him to keep this secret for me........he's as bad a gossipy high school girl.  Just a text message or two later, most of western civilization had heard the news.  So incase you were gone that day - or it was my job to call, text or message you the news - here I am, breaking my own rule and sharing some pretty big news a whole week earlier than I wanted/planned.  What's that saying, "You want to see God laugh......tell him your plans!"?

In September, we will finally welcome a little one into our family of misfits.  Baxter and Bernice will become big brother/sister.  If that creeps you out - you should probably just not follow the blog for the next...................oh forever.  My plan was to keep it a secret for one more week, once we've sailed over the 13 week mark - but I decided when Ben told his judging team last night that I would probably get shanked if I didn't start letting "my people" know. 

We are over the moon excited, probably a little less excited than the again-to-be grandmas on both sides - but we are certainly ready for the challenge.  Within hours, some random lady at the grocery store knew after my mom heard the news.....and minutes within giving Regina the "go-ahead" on telling extended family - we received congratulatory texts from cousins and aunts 3 states away!  I'm not complaining, because if they weren't excited - they would be much better at keeping secrets.  At least Ben gets it natural :)....

So, again - if you aren't in the mood to listen to another pregnant lady ramble on about the woes and delights of her pregnancy - you won't offend me if you stop following the blog.  But be warned if you do - I've been saving some pretty funny stories to share with the world - and I'm about the vomit them for the next 6 months to come (no pun intended).

Its not that I've been uninspired...................................

Ben has been giving me a hardtime about blogging, and I hadn't realized that it had been THAT long until I finally visited today.  November 2nd, wow!  That's ridiculous!  As my title says, "Its not that I've been uninspired" because alot has been going on, I've just not devoted the spare time towards the blog.  But, I bet things will get better - I have a feeling about it!

We're back in the grind of life - Ben's on the last of his 5 week stint travelling with roughly 2 big trips left before hanging up the hat for the season.  I'm back in class, both as a teacher and a student - hoping to survive the spring semester!

We've got a few surprises in store for you followers, but its not quite that time.  Lets just say you won't be disappointed!  In the meantime, here's hoping there are still a few of you out there that read this thing!

The power of cell phones.................

With the ability of cell phones to send pictures just as quickly as they are taken, Ben and I rarely feel like we're not included in family events even though we're hours away.



What's even better is that as soon as we receive them in the phone, the photos are quickly and easily uploaded to all sorts of places like my facebook page and now blog!

What's a little bit of time.....

Time has left me nothing inspiring to write about lately. Too busy to stop and breathe, enjoy the blessings God has given us and write them down. But I am thankful today for time.

Ben and I got to spend time together today. After spending a week on the road, Ben was finally able to keep close to home for the weekend.....leaving me very excited when he informed me last night that he had nothing on the agenda today except to spend time together.

Its rare these days that we have the time to devote an entire day to each other, given our new responsibilities. To just get in the car and drive, using the windshield time to catch up with each other was a true blessing.

I love that we got to devote a little bit of time together today. Even if the 24 hours is almost up and we have many commitments to tend too tomorrow.

MMMoment

I love my new job. Not that I didn't love my old one, but being around these kids is where I was meant to be! I've been meaning to post for a few weeks, because I had a semi-brilliant idea to share with you some of my favorite parts of my job in a segment called

Melt my Heart Moments


I want to share quick little blurbs about the heart-warming things I hear from my kids, all 85 of them. Here's moment #1.

I was struggling, not feeling like I was connecting to my students - because I was trying really hard to gain their respect, lay down the law, an establish myself as their teacher. It is all part of the process, and I understand that - but it hurt my heart all the same. Two weeks into school, a very sweet 8th grader comes into my classroom - the first one in fact. He's always the first one, because he likes to visit before the rest of the kids get there. He proceeds to say, "Mrs. Williams', I need to ask you something. Can I call you Mrs. W?" I couldn't help but laugh, smile and say "Thanks for asking, you sure can!" He proceeds, "Okay!" and sets down. We go on through class and end the day. The next morning I'm met in the hallway with a hug and a "G'morning Mrs. W" from the same young man. A hug! Two weeks into school! You couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Lesson: Hugs make a difference, give them away freely and frequently.

What a hiatus we took!

Finally, after the last few months - we've started to settle in back down in KANSAS and get in a rhythm of life.

Here's a quick update, in case your wondering:

1. We moved at the beginning of August. Back to Kansas, in Hutchinson, to be exact.

2. I got a teaching job in Haven, just 15 miles south of Hutchinson. I'm in charge of the FFA program and teach 5 high schools ag classes and one middle school ag class each day.

3. We sold our house in North Dakota, the papers were signed and we got our check on September 1st.

4. We've had houseguests - sleeping on the floor. We haven't got our bedrooms fully set up yet.

5. I haven't even had time to make a trip home. Or to see my puppy. Hopefully soon.

6. In addition to teaching classes, I also have to TAKE classes to get a teaching license. Which leaves little time for supper, dishes and laundry. But I'm not complaining.

Anyway, I should return to my online meeting/training that I'm supposed to be diligently watching. I promise to update again soon!

Babe, we got grubs.

We've been hustling and bustling lately, getting ready for the big move. But, just like Ben and I, the homestead place seems to slowly breaking down........................let me tell you about a few 'joys' of homeownership' we've faced in the last month. I hope you laugh.

First, I (Corineah) broke the lawnmower - for good. Like its not coming back to life. No new battery will save it. No sweet-talking will convince her to come back for one more try. Really, its been a work in progress......which stinks now that I have to PUSH mow the whole lawn. I guess the owners manuel is quite clear about what will happen if you run the mower out of oil. Oops.

We got a new push lawn mower. I hate it. Not only does it take 3 times as long to mow the yard, I can't zoom around like the crazy nascar driver I aspire to be. Fortunately, Ben feels bad about making me mow the whole yard by myself and has come to my rescue.

We got grubs. The white ones. The kind that can kill your yard. That kind. We treated them. You know this pesticide license I got when I became an extension agent is the best $75 the county ever paid for :) Now the robins and barn-swallows hate us. Just ask them.

The flourescent light in our entry way can't decide if it wants to burn out or not. Not a big deal. But - a realtor did break the back screen door when she was showing the house earlier this summer. She blamed a faulty door install. We told her she had to hang onto the door when there was 45 mph winds. She paid for the new door.

We've donated everything that is possible to donate in our house. Even a couple of things I was sure we'd go to the grave with. For instance, Ben's quesadilla maker. Along with a corona lamp from college and an old comforter - I think we gave away every last shred of stuff he brought into the marriage. That's kindof sad - no bachelor items anymore.

We're down to setting the television on a dining room chair because we gave away the entertainment center. Hope Mom and Dad are ready for the schnanigans they are about to drive into. But in case I forget, thanks for coming to our rescue Mom and Dad. We owe you. BIG.

This house selling thing is for the birds.....

I'm not sure why I'm discouraged before we have even really begun. I think its because it seems to be the one big obstacle to us moving back home.

We've had a few lookers, but for one reason or another we've not met the new family who wants to take over our dream house. I promise to even throw in the puppy.

We do have the listing posted on MLS, which is where people who are working with realtors can find home information. We hope that pulls in some bites.

Ben says I need patience, I think he's probably right. Patience has never been my strong suit, but I'm working on my faith.

Regardless, we could use some prayers if you have any to spare.

Wheatland, ND Home for Sale

Wheatland, ND Home for Sale, a set on Flickr.

Unfortunately, about the time we are ready for our big reveal of the house, we're putting it back on the market. This is the photos we took for the listing we are putting together. We truly love this house/property and cannot believe we are going to have to say goodbye....but we are committed to making the move closer to family. In the long run - we know we are making the best decision. (And we are very excited to be home!) Hopefully we can make another home ours soon!

In honor of my new playlist.....

I know many people have been checking the blog for an important announcement - but you'll have to wait a few more days....but in the meantime.

In honor of my new playlist, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite artists new songs....it just happens to be my new ringtone.





I'd take her new album "Hundred More Years" if anyone thinks I deserve a small gift. Hint Hint Ben!

P.S. If the video doesn't work - visit this site.

Meat Mythcrushers

I seem to rarely find time to talk about the industry I'm so passionate about.....but Ben forwarded me a tool/talking piece I cannot help but share.

Visit, www.meatmythcrushers.com to see what I'm talking about. I know my ag-rovate friends will find this particularly interesting as we continue to get the message out there about safe food production, healthy lifestyles and showcasing the family farms that make it all possible.

The work is a collaborative effort between the American Dietetic Association, American Meat Science Association, Am. Veterinary Medical Assoc., Council for Ag. Science & Technology, and Institute of Food Technologists. Kudos to those organizations for providing a united front! And share with any producer or consumer you think will benefit!

Softy....that's my nickname.

I love my pets. I let them run over me (figuratively and literally). The both sleep in bed with us and I cannot stand the thought of them experiencing physical discomfort......BUT............. We've had to enforce some tough parenting in the last few days. After Baxter ripped the second sump pump hose out of the house in three days - we decided (mostly Ben, but I think he probably has some merit to the argument) that something HAD to be done. You see, from my perspective - its not really Baxter's fault that he plays with things like hoses and sticks while he's home by himself during the work day. He is still a puppy. BUT - we did just sink a small fortune into renovating the house and can't afford the substantial water damage that would occur if water was allowed to constantly cycle right back into the basis for hours on end. And we really enjoy having a nice yard without being covered in garbage and sticks all over. So..........we spent yesterday afternoon building a dog house. A really nice dog pen. And we even put a couple of straw bales in there for shelter. He got accustomed to it for a few hours last night, and will spend the day there today. But my heart did hurt this morning when we pulled away and his big, beautiful dark eyes were staring at me as he just sat and watched us drive away. I hope he stayed warm.

Godsey Livestock Sale

As we look forward to moving past all this water - I wanted to spend some time telling you all about a couple of trips Ben and I took recently. In late March we were able to go back to Kansas for a few days to help my family put on their first stand-alone club lamb/show pig sale. The sale was a culmination of all the hard work my parents/siblings/cousins/aunts/uncles/grandparents had put in over the winter to provide quality projects for the upcoming 4-H show season. The event was planned with much precision and pride - and we were happy we could come home to be a part of the celebration. Here are a few pictures of the set-up of the facility my uncle let us borrow. It turned out to be a dreary, rainy day - but all the better for us because we were packed inside this nice dry "show-barn". One of the neatest parts of the sale occurred when a sleugh of boys picked up the sale ring, moved it quickly outside and set up a small arena for the 'parade' of pigs. This gave my brother a chance to discuss each pen of hogs to the bidders to explain the pedigrees, the prospect he saw in each hog and give everyone a chance to see the animal move around on concrete. I thought this was very thoughtful of the needs and concerns of the bidders to be able to see each animal individually - since many of them weren't able to come to the farm before the sale to see the animals in their normal housing. At the conclusion of the parade, the boys moved the sale ring back inside with the same effortless motion. Anyway - I couldn't find room to maneuver around once the sale got started but there was a packed house - YEAH! for the family.....and lambs and hogs got sent all over the state (and a few surrounding states). But for my brother, the fun really begins now that the sale is over. He (and my dad) enjoys visiting with the families about feeding decisions and how to develop the animal into a good project for 4-Hers. They also equally enjoy the successes and failures the kids/families endure over the next couple of months in route to their county fairs. Because sometimes more is learned in the failures of the project than the show-ring successes.

I'm very proud of them for all the hard work that went into putting on the sale - the payoffs are definitely well deserved. Each family member contributed in some way to putting on it on - and that is truly what is special about these sorts of events. For us, 4-H has always been one of our favorite ways to spend time as a family - and we hope that as those lambs and pigs leave our family to join another - they enjoy spending as much time as we did together all those years in the barn.

Remember that quilting class I took?

Remember that class? The three weeks and three hours/night quilting class I took? I somehow managed to get the top of the quilt done. And now I'll show you how.........

These were the fabrics I choose. Like many of my friends, I love anything that incorporates turquoise into the mix. To make it even better, I added brown....who doesn't love turqouise and brown?


Many steps were condensed to get to the squares you see here. But basically the meat of the quilt is made up on blocks of either the printed fabric or those pink/turq. blocks we put together. The homework from the first session was to have the strips cut and blocks made. 60 pink/turq. blocks to be exact, along with 60 printed blocks.

Homework from the second session included sewing all the blocks together to construct the face of the quilt. If you can see here, my printed fabric had a definite direction it had to be laid in - because it had a verse written across the fabric. The pink/turq. squares had to be arranged so that each print set of blocks were angling down through the quilt.During the final session we put the border and edging around the center of the quilt. Its not quite as easy as it looks since I had a directionally printed fabric. Thank goodness I had help.

Here's the finished product. I only have to decide what backing fabric I want and how I want to have it quilted. Most likely it will be machine quilted - I don't have the patience to do it myself.

All in all, it wasn't as difficult as I thought. Plus, I learned alot about general sewing techniques that I should have learned several sets of curtains ago. However, the class has created a monster and I'm alittle too excited to find time to start another one.

No happy camper.

I have a very grouchy creature in my home. With good reason......her life has been turned upside down by a 50-lb, balls-to-the-walls terror full of fur and crazy. Bernice has not-so-smoothly come into her own recently finally figuring out a purrrfect day's schedule spread out amongst her nap breaks. But then we pulled a fast one on her.

We brought home this guy......

In not so many words, he's the devil. But we love him.

Baxter joined our family of "B's": Ben, Bernice, and Bossy (me, as Ben so lovingly refers) about a month ago. It was another one of my notorious - "Ben's out of town, so lets do something rebellious I'll regret later" - moments. Less than 12 hours after I saw the add in the paper, I was hauling him home in the passenger seat of my car.

Now he spends his days chewing anything he can find (my new welcome mat, our beloved K-State windsock), eating cat-poop treats and wandering outside our house until we get home in the evening. He sleeps inside at night, but we were quickly made aware that our modest little 1200-ft house is not big enough for all of the crazy he unleashes on a nightly basis. So we've taken to walking him in the evening to wear him out. (I should remind you - we have yet to break the 35 degree weather yet and still have 24" of snow on the ground).

Anyway, we adore him....for the most part, until all hell breaks lose about 8:30 p.m. when we're about to call it a night. And we happily report that Bernice has taken to her own form of retaliation against him, even though she has no claws to do any real damage. But beware of any visitors to our place, she will molest you as soon as you come home, as remind you that she is the queen of the house.

A really great gift...

Ben was presented this art piece from his senior judging team at last week's Little International Agriculturalist of the Year Banquet. It's absolutely beautiful...........plus I can't wait to make it a focal point somewhere in the house.


It's hard to imagine how beautiful it is...so you should click here to see. The poem and photos of the heifers are laser printed on a cow hide and set in a beautiful western frame. This will forever be a reminder of the great students that Ben (and I) have the chance to get to know and grow to love during this adventure. If you remember last year, he received an equally beautiful color pencil print of a hampshire ewe lamb shown by a member of that team that proudly hangs in his office at NDSU. We truly appreciate these sentiments and smile each time we think of a little funny story about the team that year.

Just in case any one's doing some REALLY early Christmas shopping.

I won't say its because of my new found love of quilting (I won't jump on that boat yet) but I do think that I will be sewing for a LONG time.....so I think its reasonable to ask for this to be added to my Christmas (or birthday because that comes sooner) list.


You can find it here. I would like the 18 x 24 size. Its universal. And totally awesome. Plus I can store it.....since I won't have a designated sewing room any time in the foreseeable future.

Also - I'm starting my sewing wish list. Just so you know.