Flowers!

One of the sweet volunteers at work brought me some gorgeous flowers from her garden today. Pink peonies! They smell wonderful!

My comforable rut

I fall into a comfortable little rut every four weeks or so. That's how often Doug's schedule changes. The last month's rut found me working on homework in front of the TV every Friday and Saturday night. Sounds a little pathetic, but believe me, it isn't that bad. I get to watch Ghost Whisperer and Numbers. Not the best shows. Well, Numbers isn't that bad. It has Rob Morrow from Northern Exposure and I absolutely love him. Ghost Whisperer is annoying, but it's on. Background noise essentially.

ABC has been doing some good Saturday night movies lately, though, and I'll miss that as Doug's got weekends off again now. Which is great! We'll be hanging out with some friends this weekend. But, that means I'm going to miss the third Harry Potter movie Saturday night. ABC is apparently showing them all in order. It's been quite fun to watch them again because I, amazingly, do not own a single one of the movies. Guess I'll have to Netflix them so I can watch them all again!

Giveaway winner!

I'll be contacting you this evening to get your info! Congrats!

Thanks for everyone who participated in the giveaway. Please stop by underground grace to check out all the fantastic bags and totes. New designs should be added soon!

Success!

The blogathon was a success. We haven't reached our goal, but we did raise some money for Police Wives Online's programs. MJ is keeping the donation button open for another day for anyone who wasn't able to visit us last night.

My giveaway is open until 7:00 tonight. Come sign up!

A big thanks to everyone who helped out with the blogathon. It was great fun!

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who came by to read and comment. Especially the new readers! This was really a lot of fun.

Big, huge thanks to MJ for organizing the blogathon for us. You are amazing! I appreciate all your hard work to make this so fun and successful. We're awfully lucky to have you on PWO.

And thanks to everyone who donated, chatted, bought something from the shop, blogged about us and kept us company. We are truly grateful for your support.

My other blog

I have another blog that I use for book lists, reading, book reviews and things related to books, reading and libraries. It's my Book List blog. I haven't updated it with new posts recently, but I have a couple that I'm working on.

I like to keep track of the books I read each year. That's what this blog started out as originally. At the beginning of the year, I thought that I'd like to expand it a little bit. And I did. And then I sort of stalled out once my semester got busy. But, I've also used to it to keep a list of the great books I've read for my children's lit class this semester.

Do you keep track of what you read?

Comics for librarians

I thought I'd share this great little comic strip with you. There's actually a link to the Unshelved on the library's intranet. I like to go read through the strips when it's really slow at the library.

Tweet, tweet!

Have you checked out Twitter yet? I have. It's completely pointless and I love it. I follow a lot of fun people and friends. There are some useful things to follow, too. The most useful thing I've found so far is a feed that lists library jobs. I'm hoping that will come in handy soon. It's at least interesting to see what jobs are out there.

Anyway, if you haven't checked it out yet, come visit me. I go by hallienoves of course. I've also got it linked to the blog, over there on the left hand side.

Police Wives Online also has a Twitter account, if you want to check that out and support us. It's used for updates, fun announcements and to get the word out about the site.

Conversation

DH called right before I was ready to log off and go to bed.

"What are you two still doing up?" he asks. And I'm sitting here thinking "Two? Who two?"

Uh, duh. Me and the baby. I swear, I'll get used to this eventually. I just don't feel pregnant yet.

I'm out!

I've stayed up as late as I can. I am easily tired these days and I've stayed up later than I usually do already so that I could hang out with you all. I've had quite a bit of fun blogging and commenting tonight. I'll try to be back in the morning to blog before the end of the blogathon.

My giveaway is open until 7:00 pm tomorrow night.

I've scheduled a couple posts for overnight. I know that's not exactly the point of the blogathon, but I was working on a couple more and I thought I'd spread them out rather then posting them all before I go to bed. It'll give you guys something to do while you're up all night.

Kudos to MJ for organizing this whole thing and for staying up allll night to blog. According to the mother blog, we are currently 1/4 of the way to our goal of raising $1000 for Police Wives Online. Stop by to donate or chat if you can! You can be entered for an Amazon gift card!

Take a guess

My friend Nadia and I are going to get mani/pedis tomorrow. I can't wait. I'm a little ticked that I broke a nail right off while I was shelving books at the library today. Figures.

So, take a guess. What nail color do you think I'll get tomorrow afternoon? What's your favorite color to get for the summer?

Pregnancy symptom #4 I wasn't ready for

Forgetfulness.

I didn't realize that this was going to happen at any point during pregnancy. Then I read Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy. First, that book is an absolute riot. She speaks frankly about all sorts of weird and not so weird things that happen while you're pregnant. Forgetfulness is one of them... I believe she called it pregnancy brain, but honestly I can't remember (not kidding people).

I thought it was something that was going to happen later... like 3rd trimester. Nope. I forget stuff all the time now. And I didn't used to ever forget anything. I make lots of lists, especially at work, but in the past, generally, once I've written something down, I don't forget about it. Now, I have to write it down or else you might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

Show of hands

Who's excited for the new Star Trek movie?



I've never seen any of the old Star Trek movies. I've only watched the original show and then The Next Generation for a little while, mostly in reruns. I can't wait for this movie, though. It looks so cool! Plus, Scotty is Simon Pegg.

A musical break

I love this song. The real video mysteriously disappeared from YouTube sometime this week, but this version sounds alright. I've never really listened to Jason Mraz, but I know my brother used to. For all I know he still does, in which case I need him to let me borrow it. (Zach, take note and bring the music with you in May!)

PWO Award

At the end of last year, the staff of Police Wives Online decided to create an annual award called the Blue Rose Award. This award is to go to a person selected by the staff who is active on the boards, is an established member and who has a great attitude towards everyone.

I was honored with the first ever Blue Rose Award at the end of 2008. I was so completely surprised and touched to even have been considered.

I love PWO. I found PWO just because I was looking around for some sort of police wives group. Nothing serious had happened, I wasn't having problems with Doug's job... it was all just new and I was actually enjoying it and I wanted to see what was out there. And I found PWO.

This amazing group of girls has been an endless source of friendship and fun. They'll quickly lend advice or tell you to snap out of it when you're whining for no good reason. They'll let you have a pity party when you need it and these girls are always ready to celebrate some good news. I haven't met any of them in person yet, although we throw out the idea of a weekend meetup from time to time. Mostly, it's just a great place to get together and talk about anything and everything with a bunch of other police wives who understand the craziness of shift work, overtime, department politics and missed events. And it is better than anything I could have hoped for!

Head on over to the mother blog if you'd like to donate to PWO. There are a number of ways you can help this great non profit group. Thanks!

Suggest a book

I love to read mysteries. Fun mysteries, nothing gory or too procedural or scary. Fun, light, cozy mysteries. If there's a little romance thrown in , too, all the better.

I need some new authors, though. Now, clearly I could do the legwork myself. I am nearly a librarian after all and that's part of the job. And believe me, I've read many different book lists and book jackets. I'm also in the middle of a few different series. But, I'd like to find some new authors. And I'd like to get some personal recommendations and reviews, too. I can read all the reviews and summaries I can find, but I'd like to know what an actual person has to say about a book before I jump into something new. That's why I thought I'd ask you all.

So, please leave me some suggestions if you have any good ideas!

Baby bump

I don't have a baby bump yet. I can't wait though! I'm going home for a week for my little sister's high school graduation at the end of May. All along I'd been thinking that I wouldn't be showing at all, but now I really hope that I am. Just a little. I want my baby bump when I'm home and get to see my mom and all the family.

And this time when I leave from a week-long visit, the rumors about me being pregnant will actually be true.

A blogathon giveaway!

It's time for a blogathon giveaway!! I have this fabulous red 80s clutch to giveaway this weekend. Just leave your name and email address in the comments so that I can contact you if you win. I'll leave this giveaway open from now until 7:00 tomorrow night.

I have one of these clutches and I love it! Mine is a cute yellow rooster fabric. The bag is exactly what I was looking for... perfect size, easy to carry, cute, holds my wallet, phone and keys. There are tons of other designs on the underground grace shop. There are also organizer pouches, tote bags, wallets, felt creatures and the designer's artwork. I just talked to him and he should be adding more items to the shop in the next few days, too. You won't be disappointed if you make a purchase from this shop, I promise. Very cute stuff!

Gecko?

We have an awesome little gazebo type thing on our patio. It's lovely and adds a whole extra room onto the house. We can use it nearly year-round although Doug has been known to sit out there when it's quite cold just so he can drink beer with his friend Ken.

A few months after we set up the gazebo I noticed that there was a gecko hanging around. A lot. Turns out, it was living in the gazebo. I named him Spike. That's his photo over there. He disappeared once it got cold, but was back the next spring. With a family. The next year, just the baby, Son of Spike, was back living in the gazebo. He didn't like me nearly as much as Spike, but he was still fun to watch and very cute.

This year, there are no geckos. I haven't seen a single one. Nothing has changed with the gazebo (other than some hail damage to the mosquito netting), but no little critters have come to live on our patio for the summer. I'm a little bummed. I really liked having a pet I didn't have to feed or clean up after. I must say, though, I'm not all that surprised. Son of Spike just wasn't very personable.


Don't forget to check in at the mother blog to see what everyone else is up to tonight!

Home again, home again

I'm home from work! I will do my best to keep blogging for the rest of the evening in between fixing myself some dinner, exercising and doing homework. All while watching the second Harry Potter movie which is on tonight.

I hope you've all been having a fun bloggy day. Work was very quiet today, aside from the puppet show. Sorry the photo I texted to the blog wasn't all that great. My phone's camera is kind of crappy and I was at the back of the room. Good puppet show, though!

Goldilocks!

Puppet show!

May I see a menu please

Let me just say that I am anxiously awaiting the day when food sounds good again. Something beside a graham cracker. Anything, really.

I've not had any weird cravings. At least I don't think I have. (Doug may wish to add his two cents here.) I just don't want to eat. Nothing sounds good and I'm getting a little tired of it. I miss my veggies and fruit and hope that they sound good again in a few more weeks.

Luckily Doug cooks part of the week so I am at least spared the thought of cooking for a few days at a time. If left to my own devices I eat things like green beans or toast. Not regular toast, though, raisin bread. Real toast sounds gross.

So weird.

Off to work

Sorry I can't stay around all day and blog for the blogathon. I'm off to work at the library for a few hours. If I get a chance, I'll try to send some pics to the blog from my phone.

In the meantime, head over to the mother blog to check out MJ's posts and to get the links to the other bloggers. MJ just did a top 10 post and when she does those, you're bound to be laughing. That girl's a riot!

I'll be back this evening. Try not to miss me too much!

Whoops!

Sorry, I've had a slow start this morning! I laid around quite a bit after I woke up and initially got up. I don't get to do that very often and when I can, I take advantage of it!

Typically, on a Saturday, Doug and I are up earlyish, maybe 8:30, and we get dressed and run downtown to the farmer's market. If you have a farmer's market near you, please go check it out. We get nearly all of our veggies there, all our meat and we've started buying the milk and eggs, too. And for a treat, we get breakfast tacos, too.

It felt really expensive when we first started shopping at the farmer's market, but now that we've been doing it for a while, we've discovered a few things. It's really not that much more expensive. We're getting fresh, local, healthy food and find that we're not eating as much since what we do eat isn't full of chemicals and fillers. Everything tastes a hundred times better, too. And, best of all, you can talk to the farmers. You can ask them questions about their farm, their produce, how they would recommend cooking a particular veggie. Overall, it's such a wonderful sense of community. Doug and I both enjoy going to the market and hate to miss a week. I highly recommend checking out a local farmer stand or farmer's market for some, or all, of your produce. And if you can get your meat locally, too, all the better. You certainly won't be disappointed.

On your mark. Get set. Go!

Here we go people! Let the blogathon begin! You can check the mother blog for updates and info throughout the day, along with a list of bloggers participating.
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I've never really talked about Doug's job before, but yea, he's a cop. People say that it's a hard job and a hard life, especially for a wife and family. And I can understand that, but it's never really been a problem for us at all. Sure, schedules can be hectic and constantly changing, but that's what calendars and text messages are for, right?

Doug's had his share of crazy schedules and we've made each one work out. Each shift has its pros and cons and you just have to roll with it. As far as I can tell, there's no point in making a big deal out of something you have no control over. That sentiment works double when it comes to his time at work. I know some wives and girlfriends worry. A lot. I don't. I can't control his job or what happens on a shift. I know that Doug's very good at his job and he's been trained well, though, so I don't see a reason to worry.

Something that I do think is important is a support system. That's where Police Wives Online comes in. I don't remember how I found it. For all I know, Doug may have found it and sent it to me. But, it has been absolutely wonderful. I've been a member for a little over 2 years now and this site is full of a wonderful group of women. We're there to answer questions from rookie wives, to support each other, offer advice and tips and to have a really fun time. I feel awfully lucky to have found PWO and meet so many fantastic girls. In addition, I have a great group of friends here- wives of some guys Doug works with. We don't spend much time talking about our husband's jobs, but we sure do have a good time together!

Support the blogathon!

The Police Wives Online blogathon starts at 9:00 am tomorrow morning and we're all excited for it! We need your support though, please!


Feel free to add that button to your blog or website to help support the blogathon and all the bloggers who will be participating. It's a short list right now, but I know there are a few more who will be blogging along with us. You can follow me on my blog tomorrow, or check this link to get to all the blogs of those who are participating. That will also take you to the main site where there's some more information. Thanks!

Green!

Happy Earth Day!

I should have about a million things to say on the subject. I don't quite know where to start, though. There are so many, many things everyone can do to be green, to be mindful of resources, to eliminate toxic things from life.

Recycle, eliminate plastic, don't buy bottled water, buy organic, eat vegetarian more often, grow a garden, use green cleaners, turn off the lights, make your own cleaners, hang clothes to dry, turn down the hot water heater, unplug unused appliances, use cfl light bulbs, turn down the thermostat, use fans instead of AC, buy in bulk, support local shops & farmers, get a reusable travel mug and water bottle, find ways to reuse rather than throw away, use the library, wash clothes in cold water...

I could keep going. There are small changes, big changes, creative changes... lots of ways to save what we've got and make resources last longer. Try a couple- you might just find some great ways to use what you've got and some new creative ways to share with us.

My First Blogathon!!

I'll be participating in my first blogathon this Saturday and I'm quite excited! The blogathon has been organized by MJ for Police Wives Online (PWO). Donations will benefit a number of PWO programs including the H.U.G.S. (Helping Uplift Grieving Survivors) program and a newly created scholarship fund for law enforcement families.

The idea is to blog for 24 hours, in this case from 9:00 am Saturday to 9:00 am Sunday. I'll never make it. I have to work Saturday afternoon and I need too much sleep right now to even attempt staying up all night. But, I'll be blogging as much as I can throughout the day and definitely Saturday evening.

Please come check it out this Saturday! There are lots of ways to support us. You can donate to PWO, come chat and comment throughout the day, or, you could even blog for part of the day.

Things I've learned in the last 7 weeks

It's been a busy couple of months, what with school, Doug's schedule changes, work and, of course, being pregnant(!). I've learned some interesting things in the last 7 weeks.

The dishwasher is my new best friend.
I'm too tired to stand at the sink and do dishes when I get home. I'm too tired to do much of anything. I have learned how to creatively load the dishwasher. Doug's creativity and ability to balance various dishes and pans never cease to amaze me.

You can never have too many pillows.
I couldn't sleep comfortably for about a week before I found out I was pregnant. It took me an extra few days to figure out that I needed more pillows. I've always slept on two. I now have a third that I snuggle up to so I can sleep comfortably. The pillow count is sure to rise over the next few months. Any bets on how many I end up with? And will Doug still fit in the bed?

The graham cracker inventor is a god.
Not quite the morning sickness standard, I know, but in my mind graham crackers are even better than saltines. Whoever came up with these wonderful, crispy crackers is an amazing human being. I've always loved graham crackers anyway and now they are more useful than any cracker should be.

Naps are lifesavers.
Sometimes I take a nap at work. Sometimes I make it until I get home. Either way, I take a nap almost every day. It's lovely. While Kate was here this week, we called 2:00 pm the napping hour. Usually, I try to keep it under an hour, though, so I'm not so darn groggy when I wake up. Nothing like being bleary eyed at work.

I know I'll have much more to learn over the next few months. It's been fun so far, though, and we're certainly looking forward to everything else.

Making its blog debut...

My first doctor's appointment on Monday morning went very well. Didn't do half the stuff that I expected and had an ultrasound which was completely unexpected so early. Turns out my doctor does an ultrasound at every appointment up to 20 weeks because it's fun. Works for me!

I'm healthy, it's healthy and everything looks good so far. It's little heart was pounding away. My next appointment is May 11 so I'll keep updating with pics as I get them!

Also... these pictures are blurry. Really blurry. The monitor gave a much clearer picture. So, if you sort of look closely, but not too closely, and maybe only sort of peripherally look, you can see where the baby is, up in the right hand corner.

Whew! Everyone knows!

Finally, the families both know so we can talk about it online. I'm pregnant and due on Thanksgiving! That's the reason for the craziness around here lately. I couldn't blog about it, though, because the family hadn't heard. Doug saw his dad last week so we told that side of the family. My sister flew in for her Spring Break last night so I told my family yesterday. Finally!

Everyone is really happy and very excited. Which is all an understatement.

My first appointment is in a couple hours. Yay!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

I've been MIA, I know. Sorry. I'll be back soon and blogging more. It's just been really busy around here lately.

Hope you have a great holiday!

What the heck?

I happened to see this while reading an article on Yahoo.com today. It's like some weird little mix & match game where you get random heads, middles and legs and you can arrange them in all sorts of funny ways.