Day 43

Run, Run, as fast as you can!
I have to actually credit my brother, Sean, for catching this photo. I was busy driving. Our neighbor broke his ankle a few weeks ago and asked us to pick up his package at the office (a doggy bed for Rocky, their boxer). When Andrew came out of the office w/the box I asked if he wanted help. He immediately turned, lifted the box, and started running. Game on! We raced, but I let him win.

~H-Mac~

Day 42

A mystery. What's in the box?!
My older sister is the best, thank you for your unexpected gifts!! They made my weekend!

~H-Mac~

Day 41

Ooooh, scary!! I love my iron, there is no doubt about it. I love to keep it as clean as possible, so I can make faces in it.

~H-Mac~

Day 41

What do you see when you look at this picture??

How about my elbow, you sickos!!
I have always thought the elbow pictures were funny, and I always get a good laugh when I realize I have been tricked! Hope you get a good laugh...or at least a chuckle.

~H-Mac~

Day 40

I feel like a stalker, taking this photo. Good thing those people are only made of plastic. My grandmother bought me this 3-D photo box, and I love it! If I ever go to NYC or any other place with a fabulous bridge, I will be sure to take a picture from a distance.

~H-Mac~

Day 39

Let there be light!!
I took this picture w/the green effect and it turned out a little eerie/strange. But I like it! My folks were nice enough to give us those energy efficient light bulbs.

~H-Mac~

Day 38

"You're my favorite Deputy!!" - Toy Story
Andrew just fiddlin' around on the guitar before a potentially long night of work. I love acoustic guitar, and I love to listen to Andrew play.

~H-Mac~

Day 37

"Tut, tut, tut; looks like rain!!"
Who could resist a cute dog named Chunky Brown, when he is wearing a rain coat?! I know I can't!

~H-Mac~

Day 36

Shy Zoey!
My dearest friend Melissa stopped in on her way out of town. Zoey, who is only 2 but looks like she is 3, tried playing the shy game with me for a little while. I believe that this is the real reason why kids carry around their blankies for so long. So they can hide under them.
Once I pulled out the Disney Princess coloring book, she was not shy anymore and sang all of Ariel's songs to me.

~H-Mac~

Day 35

Today we had a Primary activity day for church -all the kids from ages 3-11 were invited to participate in all sorts of games their leaders (including me) had planned for them. I forget how creative kids can be. The girls in the picture above made a bridge out of toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. Their structure was larger than any of the boys, and they were quite proud of that.

Play-dough! Here, we have a flower that one of our 5 year-olds made. The younger kids were so funny; I would ask them to make something and they would tell me that they couldn't. Then they found a way to make it and were so pleased with themselves.

I asked the kids to make their favorite ice-cream cone. This one is a chocolate cone w/sprinkles on top. This was one of my most creative kids at the table w/the play-dough. I loved his imagination and his ability to find simple ways to make whatever he thought of.

~H-Mac~

Day 34

Holy Hangers, Batman!
The only thing we take to the dry cleaners are Andrew's work uniforms. Unless I can buy one of those professional steaming things they use (which, oddly, I would love to have) the dry-cleaners is the way for us. I am afraid of ruining his pants anyway.
We don't re-use the hangers here, and I would feel bad throwing them away. So I save them all and take them back to the cleaners every couple of weeks to be used again. It makes me feel better, since I am not as good as I should be when it comes to recycling.

~H-Mac~

Day 33

Delicious.
I know I shouldn't eat a lot of junkfood being pregnant, but, sometimes I can't help it! Before I got pregnant I abstained from anything with lots of sugar (candy, cake, etc) - and it was easy because I was never in the mood for it. But now, good grief. I always want candy bars, cookies, anything bad for me. I don't get it. Oh well. It's okay to get a Snickers every now and again...besides, this baby ain't goin anywhere for a while.

~H-Mac~

Day 32

Rain, rain, go away. This is my view from my ghetto-ly small porch. If you can even call it a porch. I like looking at this tree, and watching the branches sway with the wind. Hopefully the lightening will leave it alone - especially since it entwines with the phone/electric lines. On days like this I just wanna curl up and read a good book, or watch a movie. *sigh* But work calls...so I must go...

~H-Mac~

Day 31

Oh, smoke alarm, how dost thou annoy me? Let me count the ways;
1) You go off when there is no smoke
2) You sound the alarm when I light a scented candle
3) You wait until I am tucked away and comfortably snuggled into bed to cry about nothing
4) You never let me forget there was once smoke in the room - you just keep crying
5) You always seem to wait until after 10:30pm to wake up - when I am in bed

I know smoke alarms/detectors can save our lives and homes. But it can get really annoying when they start going off at nothing, or just don't function properly. grrrr. I realize most of our "safety" products for our home are there to protect us, and they do...but I wish they would not speak unless spoken to.

~H-Mac~

Day 30

Friends.
Where would we be without them? Probably stuck at home wondering how to get baby furniture there. Jeff & Anna are amazing for coming through for me today - they drove me all the way out in BFE off 105 near 336 in Conroe - just so I could get my furniture home sooner. They loaded everything for me, and with my family, unloaded everything and made sure it got set up. If I wasn't so pregnant, I definitely would have done more. I will put pictures of the furniture up on my other blog. I am grateful for my friends, and for my family, and all the things they help me with! I definitely would not get nearly as much done without them.

~H-Mac~

Day 29

Self portrait. I somehow managed to not get too weird an angle on this one though. Not too much to say, I don't really like talking about myself. Enough about me, tell me about you!

~H-Mac~

Day 28

So I am trying to sell this for parents, and myself (funds go toward baby stuff). It took me what felt like forever to clear all the junk off the top of this media armoire. The more I think about it, the more I realize we are like these things. They look all organized and pretty on the outside. When you look at this, you think: wow, it makes the area look clean and put-together. But then you open it...and...

Holy-Moly look at all that stuff!! haha. I figure, that is what we can be like to some people. So don't open up too fast, or you may overwhelm folks. If you open up a little at a time, people get used to you and all your little collectibles and built up corners. Or they decide they hate clutter and start to avoid you. Either way, you win.

~H-Mac~

Day 27

We can all dream, right? Had dinner w/the in-laws near market street. So we took a stroll and had some ice-cream, when we came across this amazing Rolls Royce. It was gorgeous - I could have put my makeup on in the reflection of the paint it was so clean. While I will never own of these myself, it is fun to picture myself in one. It's fun to have a dream car, but be able to be realistic enough to know what I will be driving. Which is a Mazda3 for me. *zoomzoom*

~H-Mac~

Day 26

April Fools!
I hate this day of the year. I think it's dumb, stupid, and a complete waste of time and energy. I actually took this picture last year, when Andrew & I were living with my parents. They put this sign over the door, prepared for my arrival home from a job I really hated. Here is the cliffnotes version:
I didn't like where I worked: I roll up to work to discover a HUGE sign that read: "Going Out of Business" hung next to the door (didn't have my camera with me). A smile spread across my face. I walk in, and it feels all wrong: everyone is calm and going about their day normally. No gossip, panic, screaming; nothing. My co-worker asks me if I have my resume ready and up-to-date (duh!) to which I chirped a pleasant "yes". He keeps bothering me about what the date is...I didn't get it. I kept telling him and he kept asking me as if I was going to change my mind. Then it clicked for me. April fools day. What a bunch of jerks. Get my hopes up like that.
Andrew thought it was funny that I was so disappointed about the sign, so he made his own for me. How sweet. Don't you hate it when someone gets your hopes up for something only to let you down?

~H-Mac~

Day 25

Oh, apartment life. Why is there never enough storage space? I have to keep our linens/towels in our bedroom closet, since there is no other place to put them.
Apartments are fine to live in...I guess. Always pros and cons to weigh:
PROS: -we don't have to fix things, that is what maintenance is for
-I don't have to pay for new air filters.
-I don't have to pay for new washer/dryer.
-I don't have to mow the lawn.
-No homeowners association and their stupid dues/fees.
-No salesman. Well, there aren't supposed to be any, but sometimes they sneak in.
-I don't have to clean the pool.
-I don't have to purchase a pool pass.
CONS: - Can't paint the walls.
-have to listen to neighbors honk car horns obsessively for several minutes each night.
-Idiotic neighbors everywhere!
-Chihuahua's below us that never shut up.
-Stairs. (stairs + baby = Ugh)
-Dealing with management (at some places...my mgr now is awesome).
-neighbors that yell and argue for all of us to hear.
-Neighbors that practice the flute @ 4pm prompt, M-F.
-Neighbors who play loud music w/heavy base until 11pm when I have to be up at 6:30am.

Do you remember your first apartment?

~H-Mac~

Day 24

Home, sweet home.
This is in our dining room - I initially took it for the tree in the corner, but then I realized I like my china hutch also; devoid of china. Andrew has this thing for making sure we always have some kind of tree (fake) in the apartment, it makes it feel more cozy for him I guess. We have 1 in the dining room, 1 in the bedroom, and 1 in the study/nursery. He is silly like that. But I love this little corner of the apartment, mostly b/c it stays clean since we never go there. Doesn't everyone have a portion of house they rarely use so it always looks clean? If you don't, you should.

~H-Mac~

Day 23

A dog named Chunky Brown.
My best friend somehow managed to get this cute dog; it's mostly because her husband is amazing. This is some kind of chihuahua mix - I normally hate that breed, but he is pretty good. He doesn't yip and yelp all day long; only if Anna leaves does he cry and whine. This puppy (who is 6 months old I think) has way too much energy, and makes me tired just watching him run circles around their apartment. One of these days I will get a video posted of him playing around. Just don't let him nip or bite ya while playing - he has razor sharp puppy teeth.

~H-Mac~

Day 22

CUTE! I love little girls clothes - they are the best. Of course, I would be saying the exact same thing if we were having to buy little boys clothes. But we aren't, so for right now, I think girls clothes are the best. This is the design on a cute shirt, that has matching red w/black dots shorts. I found it at a resale shop, for a steal - $5~! it is practically new, no signs of wear or tear, no stains, no funny smells, no pulled threads - nothing. I love finding great things at resale shops, I figure, if it looks brand new and I get to pay a much cheaper price for it, I win! Sometimes used, or "gently" used is best. Same goes for life, like when employers want someone who has experience, but still want to be able to mold someone who has not been too set in their ways for too long. Does that make sense?

~H-Mac~

Day 21

Whoever said diamonds were a girls best friend never looked in that girls closet.
The real answer to who a girls best friend is: shoes. Shoes. SHOES! I love high-heel shoes, and I am sad that I cannot wear them right now. My sense of balance is a little off, and I am afraid my feet will swell like everyone else' feet seem to do. So for now, my favorite pair of bright pink pumps must wait patiently for this baby to arrive.

I wish I had a picture of my sisters closet, full of shoes. That would further illustrate my point. The kind of shoes you wear can tell people a little about you or your mood: prissy, high maintenance, no maintenance, "emo", sporty, outdoorsy, tomboy, lazy, etc. So wear your shoes proudly!!

~H-Mac~

Day 20

Yeah, Biggio!!
Andrew made me cut this out when it hit the stands on June 29, 2007. Then he didn't want to get rid of it, but gave me no ideas as to how/where to store it. So I finally framed it in the cheapest poster frame I could find. So now we get to look at good ol' Craig everyday when we get on the computer (he is right above our monitor). Craig Biggio was one of my favorite players when I actually somewhat followed baseball. But in the last few years, I decided I don't care as much as I should. Funny how that happens. We tend to do that in our personal lives as well...or maybe that is just me. I should probably try harder to keep up and care about the important things.

~H-Mac~

Day 19

Sparkles and toes! They just go together. I like my feet - I think I have always liked my feet. They have good shape, and I almost always have my toe nails painted. I know it sounds silly, and I still remember my first day of reflexology in massage therapy school: we were asked what we like about our feet. We should always find things we like about ourselves, even if it is something as silly as our feet. I remember we all giggled in class as we were wondering if our teacher was serious. So find something you like about yourself, even if it is silly. It's good for you.

~H-Mac~

Day 18

These are a few of my favorite things...
A good parking spot can be hard to come by when out running errands. Thank goodness places like Kroger offer "expectant moms" spaces, even closer than handicapped spaces! I try to tell people I can do things, that "I'm pregnant, not handicap" - I guess Kroger says pregnant can't walk as far as handicap. I always park in this space. Thanks, Kroger!
So remember: pregnant people do less than handicap people. lol. I'm seriously kidding.

~H-Mac~

Day 17

My point of view.
I am slowly losing the visual of my feet!! Ah! This is what I normally see when I look down - sometimes this little girl likes to stick her butt out as far as possible and blocks the view of my feet. I realize this isn't "fat", this is "pregnant". But I feel fat, I can't help it. I don't care what size a woman starts out as, how well (or not well) she holds her preggo belly - - - pregnancy will make any woman feel fat. Think about it: your mid-section grows at an alarming rate (at least, alarming if you are not pregnant), and there is nothing she can do about it!! She has no say how fast it grows, how large it grows, or where it sits (high, low, right in the middle).
So if you see a pregnant woman looking depressed about her size, don't try to console her by telling her she looks good: tell her she will see her feet again very soon.

~H-Mac~

Day 16

Nice view.
Andrew stayed home sick again today, and I knew I needed to get him out of the apartment for even a few minutes. So we ended up splitting a sandwich at Hubbel & Hudson, across from Tinseltown in The Woodless. I mean, The Woodlands. This store is one of those that attracts a lot of snooty rich people, who can afford to buy the $300 caviar downstairs. But you can go through the sandwich line and get a really good eat, at a price, and then eat it upstairs and watch everyone shop for their snooty rich food while you take advantage of the free water. I love that they always have a single flower on each small table upstairs. Makes ya feel like you got your moneys worth.
Honestly though, a good food store with a bistro, coffee bar, ice cream, amazing selection of cheeses, breads, meats, fruits, and organic foods. The kind of stuff you can't find at Kroger.

~H-Mac~

Day 15

Ran a little late for church today (Andrew was sick - I make him priority #1 when this happens, b/c he gets so dang grumpy if he is sick for longer than 1 day). As I waited in the hallway for an appropriate time to walk in the chapel to find a seat, my eye caught this sign above one of the Bishop's office door. It wasn't on, but I thought how nice it would be if I could have one of my own installed at my place. I have felt an extreme anti-social wave about to hit me (I somehow can tell when I am about to ignore everyone and everything before I do it), and I am just waiting for it so I can turn on my "do not disturb" sign. Though no one ever notices the sign, or when it is lit up. How annoying. Don't you hate it when everyone seems to bother you when you don't want to be disturbed?

~H-Mac~

Day 14

I know, I cheated! I know!
My dad took this picture for me - I just can't seem to get a good preggo shot of me holding the camera at arms length from myself. I realize that wearing the print shirt did not help in finding the baby bump, but, deal with it. I think I just started week 28 - but I am still confused as to where exactly I am on the chart. I know the belly explosion is still yet to come, I am not excited about it. But knowing it is coming will help me to accept it easier - I don't care who you are, pregnancy can be hard to deal with b/c your midsection (which I try to keep trim) is continually getting larger w/out my permission. And at a rate I don't get to control. But knowing that this is normal helps me deal and cope with it. Like anything in life - if we know it is coming, we usually handle things better since we have a moment to mentally prepare. ...usually...

~H-Mac~

Day 13

Oh, Texas, my Texas!
I love Texas. I don't know our state history very well, but I love anything that has to do with Texas (except the high car insurance rates). My kitchen is Texas/western themed, and my mother bought me these plates years ago to put on my wall. How I love them! The best thing about these is that if I had to use them as a serving platter (like they were designed to do), I could! I love these plates. What do you love in your kitchen?

~H-Mac~

Day 12

I swear I have the most talented friend.
It was supposed to be this planned girls nite, with the theme of babies - 3 of the anticipated 6 of us ladies are preggo. However, plans changed at the last minute (only slightly), as one of us (not me!) had to cancel because she had her baby that afternoon, about a week ahead of schedule. What did Kim make all of us preggo mommies...? A board w/the ribbons to clip bows on, and a onesie with sewn on "ruffle-butt" and a ruffle flower in the front. She sewed that herself! Amazing. And cute.
There is definitely something to be said for these homemaking skills that I lack, that society mocks. One of these days I will learn how to do cute things like this. And one of these days I will learn how to properly operate a sewing machine.

~H-Mac~

Day 11

No really, thank you.
My co-worker gave me an unexpected array of baby gifts, and all because she felt like it and wanted to. It was amazing! She told me she wanted to buy more, because she never got to have a girl, she only got a boy. I made sure to find a thank you card in my card-box and get it to her asap. While people love doing things because they want to, it's nice to know how much it is appreciated through a quick and simple card expressing thanks. There are too many times in my life when I don't adequately express my gratitude to those around me who deserve it!
So, THANK YOU!

~H-Mac~

Day 10

I haven't managed to post a single picture on time in quite a while...I will have to try and fix that. I am going to blame the baby-in-making, since I have no one else to point a finger at.

As they say: "it's all about the Benjamen's" I don't typically have a bunch of these guys lying around the apartment...or in my bank account for that matter. I figured a picture would definitely last longer. While I realize money is not the important thing in life, it is sad that we still have to have it in order to function in the world. You can't get anything without money, yet we try and stress that it can't bring you happiness. Paying my bills makes me happy, which requires some money - I then get to keep my modest vehicle, be cool in hot weather, have clean running water, a roof over my head, and eat pizza.

~H-Mac~

Day 9

Fierce.
Sometimes I feel like this guy - ready to kill everyone in my path. The only problem is, I'm smaller than anyone and everyone out there.
This is a soldier from my husbands nerdy modeling hobby he has. I originally tried to make his models sound cute & cuddly, instead of menacing and scary....it was really funny. For example, I would have said that this guy had a cute wedding cake cutter (axe) so everyone could have a piece of wedding cake, but you have to use a little-kid cute voice while saying it. I think most people who try to look scary and menacing have a softer and cuter side to them, but it can be hard to see beneath the battle axes and shields.
You just have to look for it, and be open to finding it.

~H-Mac~

Day 8

Happy Birthday, Ella!
There is nothing cuter than a 2 year old wearing a flower headband where the flower is as big as her head. Maybe the only thing cuter than that is hearing Ella say how "cute" her new headband is.

~H-Mac~

Day 7

Wedding memories.
My bouquet from my wedding, accompanied by my garter, and my hair accessory is at the bottom. I love the fact that my flowers were fake, now I get to keep them forever! I love having this on my dresser, it always reminds me of how I felt on our wedding day - almost 4 years later, and I still remember being hungry all day! haha. Seriously - I was so nervous, you wonder if you are making the right choice, then I see Andrew just before we kneel at the alter to make our covenants of marriage with each other in front of our families and loved ones, and everything disappears in my mind except for him. Then I remember that I am making the right choice. Blissful. Probably the best day of my life, definitely one of my smarter choices in life.

~H-Mac~

Day 6

Mooo!!!
This is a trinket my younger sister, Jennifer, bought for me years ago. I don't even remember when she bought it, or why, or where we were. I actually have a lot of trinkets from her...that seems to be her thing. I have this little guy on my dresser next to my jewelry, and I like to keep him there b/c I always think about how much my little sister loves me. I am not one to share emotions (get it from dad), so I almost never tell her how much I love her and appreciate her. But I always think about it when I see the little things around my room that she got for me, "just because". I guess she's alright. ;)

~H-Mac~

Day 5

Making my usual drive to work today: I take I-45N, exit 1488, and head down the road a handful of miles until work appears. However, they are doing heavy construction on 1488 to widen the roadway. I got stuck behind this truck for 2 miles (felt like 50 miles), as we proceeded to drive 10mph down the road. I know it wasn't this truck's fault, it was actually a construction truck headed from one end of the construction to the opposite end. It was so frustrating, it added 15 minutes to my usually short drive. GRRR!!!! I took these pictures w/my LG ENV3.

Yeah, this is the fastest I went for those 2 long miles of road. But then I thought to myself: we get so frustrated in life situations when other people are not going the same "speed" as we are. How often do we become the 'slow-pokes' that slow everyone else down? And when we know we are slowing others down, how often do we seek (or expect) acceptance and patience from those around us? But more importantly, how often do we slow others down, and they are too nice to say anything? I know which group I wanna consider myself in! So I kept my hand off the horn.

~H-Mac~

Day 4

Hmmmm....what to photograph?? I know! How about...


Okay, I don't normally have food in my bedroom...I forgot I put the chips down on the dresser, and then I couldn't find them. So don't pay attention to my messy dresser.

What you should pay attention to is the pair of shoes next to the bed (which I have made easier to find, by placing a box around it w/an arrow pointing at it). These are my dear husbands tennis shoes. I love him more than life itself. However, this spot by the corner of the bed (which is his side of the bed) has become his favorite place to leave his shoes. He takes his shoes off here, so it makes sense. The problem is that I then come in the room, and have to walk by his side of the bed (coming or going) - and whenever shoes are there, I always, without fail, trip over them. It does not seem to matter if I am watching where I am going or not, if the shoes are partially under the bed or not. I trip over them and manage to catch myself just before I fall over. You would think I would have it figured out by now and avoid that area of the room.
How many times in our lives do we constantly trip over the same thing, knowing that the obstacle is there? I guess if you are me, then ALL THE TIME.

I was going to take a picture of something else tonight, set my chips on the dresser to find the item, walked by the bed, and tripped. Inspiration hit me. Now I have proof that he forgot to put them away. Andrew is normally good about putting his shoes away, and always gets a good laugh when he hears me trip and realizes he forgot to move his shoes to the closet.
He obviously forgot today. Love you too, honey!

~H-Mac~

Day 3

Is the glass half empty or half full?

Well, if you put milk in it and give me some oreo cookies, the glass is going to be EMPTY! Yum!
Besides, being pregnant and all, I need lots of milk. Right?

~H-Mac~

Day 2

So, I thought it would be easier to keep my "personal" blog, and this "project" blog separate. But only will time will tell! Day 1 is on my personal blog...if I feel like moving it over here, I will. But I doubt it.



My cell phone. I love it, I hate it, I love to hate it. My senior year of high school I was given my dads old cell phone - I thought I was the coolest thing (of course, I got calls in the middle of the night wondering if I was Tom. Do I sound like a man to you?). I loved having a phone, I told people to call me anytime of day or night. And I answered.

Now, I hate having a cell phone. Most days I am very happy when it stays silent, very rarely do I hope it will ring, with someone on the other end who just wants to chat. I feel like cell phones are a curse now, and that everyone follows me no matter where I go. I can no longer get away from anyone. I try to always answer for my family, no matter what I'm doing. But everyone else...well, you can wait.
And by the way, if I didn't answer the first 7 times you tried calling me, I probably won't answer on the 8th try.


~H-Mac~