From the time I was about 4 to about 18, the most anticipated time of year for me was any time I got to go to my grandparents' house in St. Mary's County.

Maw & Grandad had a rancher located in Hollywood, MD, pretty much right on the Patuxent River. I remember excitedly packing my bag full of both summer and winter clothes, as Maw kept the thermostat at about 65--far too cold for an underweight teenager! I'd wear my flannel pajamas to bed, and have to lay pretty still, all bundled up in my cocoon of blankets in the peach bedroom, until my body heat warmed the sheets enough for me to move around comfortably, without the shock of ice cold  cotton against my skin. I'd easily fall asleep to the rhythmic sounds of Grandad's snores coming through the wall...

In the morning, I'd wake to the warm sunlight coming through the shades on the 2 windows that faced the road, the smell of coffee drifting down the hall from the kitchen, and the sounds of the morning news from the television.

She would fix me a simple breakfast and then we'd get ready for the day--usually, it entailed going to the local Amish farms and getting the produce she'd need for dinner for the week, but sometimes it also involved going to JoAnn Fabrics, or KMart, or wherever else she though she needed to go. I was just happy to be with my grandmother--it didn't matter where we went.

Upon waking this morning, barring Luther's barks to let him outside, I was immediately taken back to that time. I was warm in my bed and didn't really want to get up; when I did, I cracked open a few windows and let the warmer-than-usual air come in as I turned off the heat. The crisp air has a freshness to it that I've been missing since the weather turned cold...and the sounds of blue jays, squirrels, and various other chirping birds has me missing my grandparents and the times I was able to spend with them.

Howdy, Strangers!

Well, I must say--it's been awhile since I've found the time to sit down and contribute anything to this scintillating blog, and I do apologize to those of you that may actually look forward to reading it.

Here's a little update of what's going on, both personally and professionally:

You may have been keeping up on my Fb posts (or you may not have), but Tater Tot still hasn't come out. He also hasn't made any indication as to when he might do so. The doctor appointments are going well, and last Monday when I went, they checked to see how things were progressing. There's been some effacement, but as of January 14, no dilation. I had another appt yesterday and I chickened out on the chance to check for dilation...
The tax increases that 0 has been insisting aren't really tax increases have left my husband and I $400 poorer each month, and we are cutting corners wherever we can. Just yesterday, I called our cable company and told them I'd like to cancel our cable--I'll be turning in our box and remote later today. Wade cancelled his Gold's Gym membership--which honestly hasn't been used in over 2 years. We are in the process of trying to find out why the financial planner we went to see is charging us past due amounts on our life insurance payments, which normally equal about $450 a month. That was fine when we had the money, but now we don't. And we have a baby on the way, 2 dogs to care for in addition to the baby, my debts to pay off, and a new(to us) vehicle to purchase within the next year to a year and a half.

I told Wade if I have to drive to the guy's office in Frederick and pull the overemotional pregnant woman card, I will. And this WILL get fixed.

As for Mason Dixon Mamas, things are moving slowly. I guess most everyone else is in the same boat as we are--too many bills and not quite enough cash to go all the way around to the "comfortable" spot. Good news is, I did a fair amount of business in the month of December (over $100! That's big time, for me!), and will be doing a small craft show in March with a friend of mine that makes jewelry. You can see her shop here: www.from juliesjewelrybox.etsy.com.

I'm hoping that we both have some success and that it's better than Canal Days turned out to be.

Time will tell.

In the meantime, I'm going to get up and get moving around my house in the hopes of getting this baby coaxed out a little early.

2 weeks to go?

As many of you (I'm assuming there's more than just three people that read this--shows how narcissistic I can be) know, I am going to be a first-time mom very soon. Tater Tot's official due date is February 2, but I have a feeling he's going to grace us with his presence earlier than that. I'm hoping for the 21st so he can share his special day with my dad.

Tomorrow marks the start of my weekly appointments, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if tomorrow is my only "weekly" appointment.

There is still quite a bit of little stuff to get done around the house, like clearing out his crib of all the extra clothes that I allowed to accumulate in it, not to mention cleaning off his dresser and changing table (which is also a dresser that will double as his changing table and our linens closet), and...oh yeah! Having new vinyl flooring installed in our kitchen!

Little things, see?

And all of it will get done. It will...