Our Big News!!

Ok so I haven't blogged in a while and there are several reasons, but all link back to one certain thing...WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!! I am 9 weeks and 1 day pregnant today and just returned from the dr. I wanted to wait a while before officially announcing it because we had a little scare early on, but I have since had 3 sonograms and the cute little thing is growing and growing. We couldn't be happier about the arrival at the end of July. We are still very cautious and praying that everything continues to grow and develop normally. Here's the little "boy/girl" today looking oh so precious!

*Ok so I've tried several times to upload the picture and it's not letting me. I will try again tomorrow.

So my blogging days have been spent SLEEPING and trying not to get sick. We have been very busy with the end of the semester and Christmas drawing near, but our life has now revolved around doctor visits, eating what I can, and going to bed early...I hear we better get all the sleep we can now.

We are wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Winter Family Thanksgiving

We returned from our great trip to Missouri last night. It is a long 9-10 hour trip, but completely worth it when you are around family. We had 28 for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone had a wonderful time. The 3 4-year-old girls LOVED life on the farm making dirt soup, the other kids enjoyed fishing in the creek and shooting cans, while the adults enjoyed staying warm inside with good company and great food. We were very glad to see Grandpa doing so well after surgery and pray that he continues to do so. He is still able to get around to feed the cows and do a few things around the farm.

We were able to stay with Rachel and Jerry (Aaron's sister and brother-in-law) on our way Wednesday and we appreciate having a place to crash to break up the long trip. While we were there Jerry took our family picture so that Aaron's mom and dad can have an updated picture for Christmas. They all turned out great and Sherla will have a hard time deciding which ones to choose.

Great Concerts

Well a couple of weekends ago Aaron and I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As I was sitting in the teachers' lounge our librarian was saying she had 4 extra tickets to The Eagles concert. As I pondered on the idea of a quick trip to Dallas and back with TONS of stuff to do at our new house and boxes still all over every room, one of my good friends already said her and her husband were up for it. So Aaron and I decided we probably wouldn't get to see The Eagles again and lets face it, they aren't as young as they used to be, so we went. We left early in the afternoon and stopped to eat dinner with a few couples on the way. After getting a little turned around we finally were able to see one of the BEST concerts I've ever seen. They played from 8:15 to 11:30 almost non-stop...playing all of their old favorites and some of their new good songs as well. If you get a chance to see The Eagles I recommend you take the opportunity. They are even good from way up in the nose-bleed section.

We came home the same night since we were traveling with our friends. When we got home, we realized that Pali had some fun of her own. She must have been mad we left or extremely bored because we had quite a mess to clean up when we got home. We thought she would get cold enough and not try to tear up her bed, but as you can see...we were WRONG!

Uncluttering

Here are a few pictures of what of the rooms that are now uncluttered. Ok so it's only the kitchen and bathrooms, but just a couple of days ago there wasn't any room that wasn't filled with clutter. I might just not post anymore pics and make everyone come see us to see the rest of our house! :)



Kitchen - somewhat small and we're being creative on where to put all of our stuff











Guest bath - I just wanted everyone to see the before pics here. I don't know though I might keep the monopoly money.

Master Bath

My computer wasn't liking the number of pictures I was trying to upload so here's the master bath.

This is probably my favorite room in the house.

Welcome Home

Well we are officially moved into our new house. We finalized everything Friday and moved immediately. Thanks to the help of Mom, Dad, Joseph and Annie (the couple that work for my dad) we got moved without much trouble. They arrived Thursday evening and we began loading the trailer (thanks Buster!) immediately. Our friends enormous trailer was able to hold MOST of our house. We had two trailers full by the time Aaron and I had to go to our closing at 11:00 Friday morning. The "moving crew" were waiting for us when we finished signing our lives away. We were all moved in and beds put together by 5:00 that afternoon.



Saturday and Sunday were spent cleaning, packing, and loading Aaron's things (garage, shed, and barn). Luckily Aaron has great friends that were willing to help. I helped a little, but was very glad when Adam showed up! We have since spent our evenings unpacking boxes. Even Aaron's parents came to help us unpack last night. They even brought supper with them...thanks Tom and Sherla.



My plan is taking pictures as the boxes clear out of rooms and things get put away. So here are the pictures so far.



Haha...yes I don't have any rooms completely unpacked, but hopefully I will be able to put pictures up this weekend. So I'm keeping you in suspense a few more days.

A New House...A New Chapter

OK I haven't been home and I certainly haven't had time to update everyone on the news...WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! We both love it and are very happy. It is in the Wylie School district (for those that are familiar with Abilene). We are now closing on both houses on Nov. 10. When I have time to figure out getting pictures from the internet I will post pictures.

Pictures from our fun weekend watching the suspenseful Tech/Nebraska game will be coming soon.

Picture It Sold!

After 3 1/2 months of our house being on the market, we finally have a buyer. The contract was signed yesterday and we couldn't be happier. We have a November 24 closing date so that gives us time to packed all of our junk and find a new home. We stopped looking for other houses when it started taking longer to sell our house than we anticipated. So now we're back to square one. We know we will find something to make our new home so we're not too worried about that area. I'll keep you posted on the buying process.

We also have a new addition to our family. One of our cows had a calf last weekend. It is SO cute and mama is doing a great job of being extra protective. We hope to have another within the next few months.

I love birthdays!

Aaron and I went to Ackerly this weekend to celebrate my birthday with my parents. We had a great time. Aaron was able to go dove hunting a little while he was there and I was able to get my hair cut (which it desperately needed). I'm not even going to compete with Betsy on a lengthy blog about my hair cut. (Love you, B!) We ate good food, I got some shirts and money, and had a good time just hanging out and relaxing.

Pali went with us which is always an experience, but she did pretty good. As you can see from my pictures, I just LOVE my 55 lb. lap dog. She is spoiled rotten...she knows it and I know it.

Birthdays are just all-around good fun, no matter what age you are.

Kitchen Disasters

It took several months of getting used to this whole gluten-free thing, but I haven't had many problems lately. UNTIL TONIGHT! I really try to make our good ol' favorites and make them GF somehow. So as I was trying to figure out how to make our favorite chicken croissants GF the disaster began. Since the original recipe calls to open a can of crescent rolls, I knew it was not going to be a piece of cake (haha...not literally). I tried making a pizza crust from a GF mix I had, but that turns out kind of tough. Another mix required an hour to rise and then another 45 minutes to cook (not an option for an evening after school). So then it was on to another recipe that called for boiled chicken...since I had already started. So chicken enchiladas, nope didn't have enough cans of GF cream of chicken soup. Chicken and spaghetti, nope didn't have GF spaghetti. So we ended up throwing together things that we actually did have that included rotel, corn tortillas, velvetta, cream of chicken soup, and cream of celery soup. It turned out so-so...probably will be added to the already LONG list of GF recipes we will never have again.

I was really wanting to order a pizza or grab a burger, but those days are over. So just a small setback on our new diet journey...we'll get it ALL figured out soon enough I'm sure. Until then let the experimenting continue!

Cooking At Its Best

We just returned from Lubbock for the annual Chuckwagon Cook-off. This is certainly entertainment I married into and while we all enjoy it very much it is A LOT of work. Waking up at 5:30 in the morning, cooking until noon, and cleaning up until 9 makes for a long day. Aaron went on Thursday with Cody's dad and I came with Cody (his chuck wagon partner) and his mom on Friday after school. We got back into Abilene this morning and I was beat.

With 32 wagons there we were very pleased with our results from the cook-off. We got 3rd place with our dessert and 4th place in meats. Our dessert was apple cobbler and we were quite worried about it when they gave us the smallest fresh apples I've ever seen. (We usually get a huge can of peaches.) So we started the morning off by peeling apples for about an hour. Just what you want to do at 6:00 am by the light of a lantern. Our chicken fried steak was the best I've tasted in a while. I can say that because I had little part in that area. I try to get "jobs" doing something I can't really screwed up like peel potatoes or bread the chicken fries. I let the people that know what they are doing take on the breads and other things.

Here are some pictures of our fun!

Cody and Aaron getting out the cobbler.

Karen and I breading the chicken fried steaks.

What a Week

Every year I begin school with enthusiasm (well, sorta) and energy. Every year I forget how quickly that energy diminishes. This year has been particulary bad, or it might be that I'm going through it now. Week's starting off with Monday's like I have, I will probably stay tired until Christmas. I go straight from school to class at 4. I have one class from 4:00-6:45 and another class from 7:00-9:45. The reading class I am looking forward to and think I will get a lot out of, the research class...I'm not so sure of. Despite the professors desperate plea to not already have an opinion of the dreaded class, you could tell by the comments and sighs not many people are looking forward to spending a semester on research (especially at 7:00 in the evenings).

After I finally got through Monday I could continue with the rest of my week. Wednesday I taught my last one-year-old class at church. I have really enjoyed teaching that class and will really miss the little munchkins . I just felt I needed a break from teaching, especially since I was starting two classes instead of just one.

Tonight was our parent forum at school which is not all that painful, it just makes for a long day. I was really wanting to get a break later in the fall instead of one week after school started, but needless to say, I will take the break when I can get it.

An update on my Aunt Wendy, the doctors were able to remove 95% of the tumor and they will do radiation on the part that was too risky to remove. I have not heard the results of the removed portion, but according to the drs on Monday everything went as well as it could have. Thanks for all the prayers and concerns.

Prayer Request

It has been a very strange day in the Winter household. We met with our realtor about a house that we REALLY want and the stars are starting to align (according to my father) in our favor. We had a showing of our house and as we were walking out the door for my uncle's mother's funeral someone from our church called and wanted to see our house as well. We got a call from our realtor that the first couple is "very interested" so please keep your fingers crossed that everything will continue to work out. After many phone calls and calming our nerves, we spent the evening doing lawn work.

I also learned this evening from my mom that my Aunt Wendy, from El Paso, has a brain tumor and is going in for surgery on Monday. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. With news like that, it really puts things in perspective and you realize what is really important in your life. Kelly, Wendy, and Taylor you are in our thoughts and prayers and we know God's hand will be with you and the doctors on Monday. We love you!

Let the fun begin!

I spent the day in a workshop on integrating technology in the classroom which means...school is here (like it or not). I have been working in my classroom and trying to get my mind thinking towards the start of school. While I'm always prepared when the kids arrive, I always stress out until it gets finished. I am still dragging my feet trying to make summer last just a little longer...not going to happen I'm afraid.

We went to Aaron Watson Monday night and had a great time. Here are some pictures from the show. Even though Aaron (Watson) compared the environment to playing in a library, I thought it was a very low-key, enjoyable show.

I want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin Clay and his wife Kit on the arrival of their new baby, Harris! He is absolutely precious and has a head full of hair judging from the picture. He arrived this morning at 6:32 and mom and baby are doing well. We are all so happy for them and I can't wait to hold the little bundle myself. Love you guys!

Must See TV

What a great time for not being extremely busy! With the Olympics on TV there is never a dull moment. I just love watching the games. When else is there a time when the whole country is rooting for the same team?!?! Let me just say I have already programmed the recorder for ALL the swimming so I don't miss a single gold medal of Michael Phelps! GO FOR THE GOLD!!!

Mom and Dad are still in town and are going to see Aaron Watson with us tonight. Aaron is not only a great musician and singer, he is a great guy with a wonderful family. If you haven't ever made one of his shows, you are missing out on a great show. He is putting on a benefit concert for Love & Care Ministries (a homeless ministry in Abilene) at the Paramount. It should be a good time with some good tunes for a great cause. I'll try to take some pictures while we're there.

Opening Our House

We have an open house this Sunday trying to push selling our house just a little. Our realtor has really stepped it up and our house in now a "showcase" house on realtor.com complete with a virtual tour. Steve has done a great job since he decided to go out on his own just a few weeks ago. Not only have we been keeping him busy in showcasing our house, we have spent several late evenings looking for the perfect house to move into. We have found several so we're putting our faith in God taking care of all the details of selling and buying with all the right timing. I have forgotten how many decisions were involved in buying and selling a house. I think it has doubled since neither of us have had to do the two simultaneously. While there are stressful moments, we know everything will work out in the end.

Not only do we have an open house this weekend, I also get to spend the weekend with "the girls." Most of the girls on Mom's side of the family are coming to spend the weekend. We have plans on lounging, painting, and shopping I'm sure. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and know we will have a great time.

Concerts Never Get Old

A great concert with a great friend is a thing that will NEVER get old. I traveled to Dallas on Friday to attend the John Mayer concert with my friend, Rachel. She knew I would be the one to travel that far to see John Mayer. If I knew how HOT it was going to be I might would have reconsidered. Despite the heat and the ridiculous charge for not-so-good food, the concert was AMAZING!!! We had a great time and even got to join my aunt and cousin for the night of fun. Hopefully we can make it again next year...you up for it, Rach?

The Wonderful World of the Winter's

With so many friends and family members having blogs, it was only a matter of time for me to jump on the bandwagon. Since I enjoy "checking up" on everyone's blogs, I wanted one of my very own. Since I have 2 full weeks before the craziness of school begins, I thought what better time to create a blog to distract myself from the day-to-day life.



Aaron and I just returned from a relaxing long weekend in Las Vegas, NM. Uncle Tim and Aunt Cathy graciously provided their cabin for our enjoyment and we appreciate their hospitality. We enjoyed the MUCH cooler weather of 70 degrees during the day and 50 degrees in the evenings. Watching the rain from the porch and the lovely views just added to the pleasure. We were able to hike (yes I hiked!) to the lots where the Winter's will some day build a cabin of their very own. Aaron was able to show me the sights of Santa Fe and Cimarron where he spent several summers as a staff member at Philmont's Boy Scout Camp. From Friday morning until Wednesday evening, the little Tribute racked up over 1700 miles. Needless to say, we'll be staying home for a while and an oil change is on this week's agenda. We had a wonderful time and were not ready to come home to the "real world".

Aaron and I spent our first wedding anniversary in New Mexico. We spent most of the day in Santa Fe where we shopped with the rest of the tourists. We picked out our own gifts from each other and I got a beautiful pendant and Aaron picked out two BIG pots to plant flowers for our new house. We also ate our year old cake...well one bite of it. It surprisingly tasted about the same, the texture, however, made us not want another bite.