I have had a wonderful spiritual confirmation that the job I am doing and what I am doing for my family is the right thing For Me :) It's been a huge comfort to me when others have discouraged me on this path, or weren't sure I could do it.

Thankfully my husband has never been a part of that group of people and I am grateful for his support and understanding in all this. In fact I think he feels quite the opposite! He couldn't be more thrilled. Sure there are times he misses me, but for the most part I have struck a good balance between work, home and family life.

I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for his kindness and support on this. I haven't been this sure about my path since I asked if I should marry Alex in the first place. And it's a wonderful feeling to know I'm doing God's bidding. I feel free.

Sickness and Work

Today I work instead of going to church, but the need was greater at work and I know Heavenly Father is not upset. Also, my family is sick, Natasha is on her last leg and Alex is in the middle of it. Sweating, dehydration, snotty nose, cough and sore throat is the symptoms, but I am determined not to get sick!
I have worked friday and Saturday today and tomorrow. So I can't get sick, I have things I have to do.

So last month alex and I tried to surprise each other by paying off a store credit card from home base. Only this resulted in being 200.00 plus in the account and no way to refund it back to the bank. LOL. So....Alex got me a table and chairs with the money for my birthday. It's a beatiful oak set with mole skin material seats that go all the way up the back. It's gorgeous. Here's a link of what it looks like: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=20001&langId=-1&catalogId=1500000751&productId=1500121661&Trail=C$cip=1500006955>C$cip=1500007029>C$cip=1500007031&categoryId=1500007031
Anyways, it's made me really happy and we've have to rearrange everything to make it fit in the room. Alex is being so kind and is getting the missionaries around wednesday on his day off to fix the problem. I'm in a huge nesting phase right now so I don't think she could say no if he wanted to.
The carvinal was last night, and the fair is in town. If alex wasn't sick I'd ask him to go with me and get Glen to babysit. But he is and I dont want to make our family more sick!

DND is temporarily on hold while we figure out a good day to do it on, since I work saturday evenings now I dont like playing DND from 1-4 then going straight to work afterwards. I like to have a day off once in a while, and besides saturdays should be dedicated part of the day to the family. Sundays are at least :)

Anyways, that's all I have to update for now until I get some pictures on the computer. Life just keeps plugging away!

More New Items

This week is my birthday, on wednesday actually, but I'm not celebrating until Thursday because that is my day off and alex's day off :)

My daughter is no longer in the care of the childminder except for this wednesday which is the last day. So instead today and Friday she'll be going to a nursery near by. I'm sure she'll love it, and I feel a bit more confident putting her in a nursery than a child minder.

Anyways, Things are going well here and work is keeping me busy. Life is good and church was lovely. They are renovating our church building right now so it's a bit crazy taking natasha there as it's all dusty and things are pulled apart in certain rooms.

Only 3 short months until the baby is born and I hardly feel pregnant most days, it's just gone by so quickly. I don't really have much more to update since its just so busy but much of the same old same old. When I get some stories to tell, I'll share :)

Idiotics moments and Great Friends

Yesterday I realized I was reading my schedule wrong. Between finding child care, starting the new job 6 days ago, and dealing with housework, church, and a leaking water heater that needs replacing (which falls into my hands to find a plumber and fix apparently..) I've just been completely overwhelmed! And what makes it worse is I even put in my own blog the wrong times I work..and I was reading that from the military times from my official acceptance letter.

Thank goodness Barb is so sweet because she just laughed at me..i'm sure they'll all come up with a new nick name for me after this! But the weird thing is I only got 2 of the days hours wrong and not the whole schedule.
Monday: 3-9 (check!)
Wednesday: 5-10 (WRONG!) it's 3-10!
Friday: Same as above...3-10..and I had also thought htis was 5-10 >.<
and Saturday: IS actually 5-10. Which is may have been where I was getting confused. I think even the rota people were confused because they thought I came in all week 3-9...So I'm really confused but I'm going to come in today at 3. At least my daughters day care starts at 2. I was trying to figure out why I had it so early for wednesday and friday when i start at 5. What a mess I made for myself. lol.

Anyways, this means I'll be working almost as much as alex since he works 28 hours a week and I work 23.5. Plus I have to care for the house and our daughter. He just gets to put her to bed when he comes home basically. And I have to get up in the morning to take care of him too before he heads to work. I feel like I have 2 jobs now. But I wouldnt give it up for the world. I'm not actually ocmplaining, I'm just really proud of myself from not falling over sideways from this. I know I need to do this for my own sanity because I just can't handle not having a job really and watching Natasha just wasn't challenging enough.

Maybe I'll change my mind after two kids, but I'm quite happy with how many hours and how things are now. :) Alex and I have been having such a great last few days. We have been having a lot of fun in the evenings after I come home from work, and on my days off in the evening. We played charades the other day and laughed so hard that my sides ached. I'm also really happy because I've gained a lot less weight with this pregnancy than with my last one, and I feel really healthy. This pregnancy is just wizzing by.

Also my birthday is coming up. And yesterday I spent my day off outside with Liz all day and she was so lovely! Her kids had a blast and I chased them around the botanical gardens in bath park. I'm so taking my grandma there. She would love it! It's so peaceful and beautiful, and a wonderful way to spend the day!

Alex says he has a suprise for me for my birthday and I'm really excited to find out what it is. My birthday is next wednesday but we're celebrating the day after since I work on my b-day. I also need to let Steve know I can't cover for him on thursday since it is my b-day party ^_^ I figure I will make myself a Chocolate cake and icing and let alex take care of the rest of the stuff. Knowing him he'll forget the cake haha. I also got my first birthday card yesterday from my grandma and that cheered me up immensely.

I'm very glad for all these things in my life, including work, and to know I'm helping my family get a home and to be financially stable. It's wonderful to feel needed.

Mama Nirvana's Meme

Rules: 1.You have to post these rules before you give the facts. 2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. 3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts. 4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. 5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Middle Name: Sue
S -- Sulky; I hate being a sore loser but it's so true, when I don't get my way I tend to pout- a lot.
U -- Understanding; I like to listen to people talk about themselves and commisserate the best I can.
E -- Economical; thanks to my husband I have a good head on my shoulders about money and i'm really good at finding the cheapest deals on anything. :)

1. Do you like cheese? I love cheese,but I can't eat it a lot as I'm lactose intolerant.
2. Have you ever been arrested? No.
3. Have you ever shot a gun? Nope, I didn't in america and thankfully can't in England.
4. Your favorite song? Any song by Rialto.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not really, I only ever did with a gynocologist..lol
6. What do you think of when you eat hot dogs? I don't eat hot dogs.
7. What's your favorite Christmas song? Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water
9. Can you do push ups? er I can do the kind on the edge of a chair. Like 5 in total lol.
10. Is your bathroom clean? Yes, I just cleaned it yesterday.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Besides my wedding/engagment rings, I also wear a watch all the time except when washing dishes and taking a bath.
12. Favorite Hobby? Painting, napping, writing in my journals.
13. What are you listening to right now? The hum of the washer
14. What is the last thing you ate? A piece of toast for breakfast.
15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? I tend to judge people too easily sometimes.
16. Middle Name? Sue.
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? Where is my anti-acid tablets? Why can't I find the picture I was using for my oil painting reference, and Will I have any clean underwear by the time I go to work?
18. Name the last 3 things you have bought. A bottle of water, a fruit bar for my daughter, and puddy erasers.
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Diet Coke, Water, Hot Chocolate/Herbal Tea
20. Current worry right now? The damp patch on the floor that keeps spreading in our entry hallway, and inability to get ahold of my landlady to fix it.
21. Current hate? Cleaning the kitchen and hoovering the living room.
22. Favorite place to be? Cuddled up next to my husband.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? Taking down the christmas decorations and going to bed early :)
24. What is your quirkiest habit? Tiding things away so even I can't find them O.o
25. Name three people who will complete this and return? Jenn most likely.
26. How many siblings do you have? One younger brother and step-sister.
27. Do you own slippers? I do but I dont wear them right now as they are hiding in some unknown "tidied away" place.
28. What shirt are you wearing? I'm not wearing a shirt, it's a dress.
29. What shampoo do you use? The cheapest possible.
30. Favorite colors? Turquoise, Blue, Green, Orange
31. Would you like to be a pirate? Why?
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't have a shower.
33. Favorite female name? Natasha, and Rosemary, Grace
34. Favorite male name? William, Adrian, Julian
35. What's in your pockets right now? No pockets.
36. Last thing that made you laugh? My daughter blowing raspberries on my tummy for the first time.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? Can't remmeber. I may have had care bear ones.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? When I was 7 my brother hit me in the middle of my head with a hammer and I had to go to the emergency room.
39. When's your birthday? 19th of September 1985.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Only one, unless you count the computer as well.
41. Who is your loudest friend? My husband, he has a lovely booming voice.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? Well I know my husband does if that counts..
44. Do you wish on shooting stars? Yup.
45.What is your favorite book? Right now it's the Courage to Heal.
46.What is your favorite age? SO far 22 is looking to be like a great year for me. :)
47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? Cathrines Wheel- Rialto
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? There is sunshine in my soul today.
49. What were you doing at 12 am this morning? Going to the bathroom for the 4th time.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? It's morning already?

Working Mama's

So, yesterday at work I got to chit chat with a lovely woman called Alice. She's also 25 weeks pregnant and her baby is due on the 22nd of December, while mine is the 19th. How lovely is that? We had a lot in common and really hit it off.

She's so different from most women I meet now-a-days, since my circle of women influence has mostly been either my mother in law, or other lds SAHM's. She's 25 weeks pregnant and working 2 jobs, one full time and the one I'm at part time. She just got married to an African man, who from the pictures seems to be lovely, and just bought their first home.

She is a real inspiration to me. I realize that being a stay at home mom is a lovely thing to accomplish. Especially if you have 2+ children, however, helping your family to survive and to have a home to live in (instead of constantly uprooting them as we are at the moment..) is also a lovely thing to do.

I once again come back to the difference in cultures, and ideas, and striking a balance between being a mummy and being a woman. Maybe she tips the scales too much with that much work, but heck I can't say I'm doing much less with trying to get my art business up and running. However mine makes it possible to be there for Natasha all day long. Anyways, it was a breath of fresh air to hear the oppinion of another woman and what they want to do with their maternity time and life compared to the LDS women I have talked to.

I realize this is a bit controversial of me, but I promise I'm not making fun of any LDS women's choices on staying home or not after children. I told Alice that priorities and life drastically changes after the baby is born and all thsoe sure plans seem to go out the window when you're dreading to go back into the work force that first year! At least that's how it was for me :)

I know I will want to spend a few months with this new child as well. I wasnt getting antsy for work until about 8-9months old with Natasha. Any oppinions on this?

Well my husband nicked the scan photos before I could make copies. He's going to show them all around work :) I myself have a lot of work to do today. But first I'm putting natasha down for her morning nap so when she goes to her day care at 2 pm she doesnt fall asleep in the middle of it. And I need more sleep too >.< I was up at 5 am! It's all I can do to keep my eyes open at the moment.

I have the house to VERY quickly clean. I cleaned most of it on Monday like the bathroom and such, but it's just cluttered very quickly and we dont have many dishes or a dishwasher so the kitchen becomes messy easily. We also use up all our dishes in a day too haha.

Anyways, so besides that I have to get the land lady over here in order to view a damp patch in our carpet that's been forming for the past few weeks. I hope there's no structural problems with the house were in. At least we dont have to worry about it, it's the apartment owners responsibility. Maybe we'll get new carpet!

Then I have to go out and pick up some food from the market today, basic stuff like bread milk veggies..then take natasha to day care at 2. I also want to fit in some art before work. I start work at 5 pm so I do have a lot of time to myself after she heads off to day care. I might do the art then :)

So that's it everyone! Natasha was a doll at the hospital yesterday, and I had a really enjoyable day with my husband in Bath. Such a fun city to visit. He was even able to get the day off to view the scan :)

It's a little girl!

Not only that my expected due date was off by 2 weeks so i'll be having this baby around christmas!! (19th of Decemeber to be correct..) We're going to name her Rosemary(ie?) Sue. We haven't decided on the spelling yet..whatever will be socially in england I think. We're really excited! :D I couldnt beleive it when they put me 2 weeks and six days ahead of my due date..that's just crazy..I have to tell my work now and I'm a bit nervous to do so haha.

But right now I'm too excited to care, or to sleep. :) I am officially 24 weeks 7 days..er or 25 weeks along :D

Today is the day of the baby scan, which I'll update this post as soon as I come back, or tomorrow morning :)

I'm excited to be going out to bath as it's a lovely city with many things to do, I will probably leave around 12-1 and have lunch in bath and then go to the park there, and then go to the scan at the hospital. I do love browsing around that city and it's so close I just have to take the oppertunity to go when I can.

Maybe I should print off some art fliers and such and hit the local library there to see if I can post my artwork. Anyways it should be a great day :)

The sun is shining and I'm really happy.

New Routines

Good news all around!

After my two days training, which is why I haven't had time to post, I am now starting Asda as a Front End Assistant. Sounds neat doesn't it? Really I deal with cafe and cashiering at the tills. :)

At least this means that I will get into a somewhat normal routine again. I will also see Alex less but it nessecary for us to get on to our own two feet and continue forwards. Besides I'm really looking forward to a job. :)

I will be working Mon 3-9, Wed 5-10 Friday 5-10 and Saturday 5-10.

So i'm searching hard once again for a baby sitter/child minder/creche/nursery. It won't be a problem on Saturdays because alex only works Half days saturdays, and starting 24th of September he will have Wednesdays off as well. This is good because I will still get to spend loads of time with him, and we'll always be able to go to church because he always has Sunday off. Bank Holiday Mondays we'll always have off together as well. (except 2 per year)


I'm a bit sad our routine of dinner together will be disruptet 4 days a week but this really is the only situation our money can afford as far as child care goes, and it still allows me to watch Natasha in the day time. I wouldn't be able to work Night shift in my condition.

The other good news is I finnally got my scan appointment last minute on Friday. So I go in on this Tuesday to get it done, and alex is seeing if he can take tomorrow off by switich a day with his colleague. We're also hoping to see the army recruitment people tomorrow because he is really interested in more information.

So all in all we're looking at a few busy days ahead of us, but at least it includes a lot of family time. :)

I get to start prooving myself to alex by paying tithing too, which is exciting because he says it can be very hard to do. I guess I will find out. I don't think it will be but I know how much tithing has helped me in the past. On both sides of the stick.

I'm still mulling over how long I should take my maternity leave, I'll probably start a week or two before the baby is due, and end some time between 8 weeks and 6 months. In england you get up to 26 weeks provided by the government for maternity leave and the first 4 months are paid half wage.

A friend of mine, Elaine, is taking 9 months off for maternity leave :)

Anyways, I've been really busy and just wanted to give a quick update...when I get more pictures I'll post them!