Ring Ring . . . .Is Anybody There?

Good Morning,

Another gloomy day outside. Rain Rain go away come again another day!! I am ready for the sunshine to come back out again!

Wondering what today's topic is all about. . . . THE PHONE

Do people today have a house phone?

Joe and I were talking last night about house phones and how many people don't use them anymore and use their cellphones instead of having a land line. Although we both grew up with landlines in our homes we haven't had one since we living in this house.
There are some great deals out there on monthly phone service when I was looking into it but I am having a hard time deciding on whether or not to pull the trigger and get one.

So here's the question of the day blogland
Are 2 cellphones sufficient enough for a household???

The Big O

Good Morning Bloggers,


With this weather today all I can hum is "Rain Rain Go Away" But who doesn't like a rainy day every once in awhile.

Today's post is all about THE BIG O

OPRAH

Do you watch OPRAH? Do you know that today is the last episode after 25 years???? If you haven't heard for the last 2 days they did a farewell spectacular show for her with many stars surprising her like Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Maria Shriver, Aretha Franklin, Halle Berry, Beyonce, Will and Jada Smith, Josh Groban, Rascal Flatts, and many more.

Joey asked me last night "So what's the big deal with Oprah ending?" I of course had to share the long standing history I have had with OPRAH. When I was in fifth grade I started walking home from school. The grade school was only one block from our house so I didn't have to venture far. I would walk home, get a snack, call my mom and let her know I was safe and sound and then I would turn on OPRAH. Over the years I have watched many OPRAH episodes and have enjoyed every minute. Chicago will miss this legend for sure but I think OPRAH will miss the City that has embraced her with open arms as well.

Cant wait to see what she has in store in for her final show.
Thank you OPRAH for all the memories.

Registering For Baby H

Good Morning Blogland,

Happy Tuesday who is excited for the long weekend. . . . ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This past Friday Joey was able to have the day off and we decided to go register for some stuff for Baby H. We hadn't planned on registering but some family encouraged us to so we thought "oh well" and I have a secret to reveal about my husband.. . . . are you ready. . . . . . . . this man loves the scan gun. When we were registering for our wedding everyplace we went he had to be the scanner and now with the baby registering he is the same way. It cracks me up. Next time I will snap a picture of his delight with his scan gun in action!

So here are the first time parents take on registering for baby stuff. .. WOW THERE IS SO MUCH!!! I was amazed at the amount of blankets, pillows, bibs, pacifiers, burp clothes, wipes, monitors etc.

Since we aren't finding out what we are having we registered for lots since we scanned some blue and some pink stuff. I wont be getting everything gender related since we will hope to use some of the stuff the next time we are on the baby carousel.

Now I need some input, have you heard of the new and greatest monitors? The video screen monitor. I had originally registered for one monitor for our home and then one we could travel with. And then I heard about the video screen one.

It is $199.99 do you think it is worth it? Would you use it?

Thanks for your advice Mommas

CLICKWORTHY

Good Morning Bloggers,

Hope you had a great weekend! Did the forecasters get it wrong this weekend or what? The sunshine was wonderful and I am glad the rain started later last night.

Today's post are some sights that I LOVE and a special deal that should brighten your Monday! Especially since Monday's are always the hardest part of the week.

So first up:
http://www.scottsdalemomsblog.com/

Scottsdale Mom's Blog: This is a blog that was co-founded by a graphic designer that I had purchased some invites from awhile back. It is an awesome resource for Mom's in Scottsdale, Arizona that have many contributing writers and great ideas and events in their community. Now you might be asking " Erin, why are you reading this since it is based around Scottsdale, Arizona?" Well first up they have great articles that are written by mom's on all topics, so if you are a seasoned mom or a new mom to be I would recommend in checking it out.

Next up:
http://wuslu.com/

Wuslu is a website that features one item a day at a huge discount with minimal shipping charges. There are great decor items at huge savings and sometimes she offers a great deal of savings when she is making room for new merchandise.

http://pizzazzerie.com/

Pizzazzerie: Are you planning a party? Looking for party ideas? This sight should be your new best friend. It is a great sight that I found when looking up ideas for a bridal shower and  I am OBSESSED with it. They have great ideas, original color schemes and all around their presentation leaves you nothing less than IMPRESSED!

And finally something to brighten your Monday:
Need some pictures printed? Want to create a photo book for a loved one? Need to order some invites or cards for an event? Then you are going to want to head over to SNAPFISH.com They are offering g 50% the entire site!! What a great deal!

GUILTY PLEASURES

Good Morning Blogland,

Hope your day is off to a great start!

Today I wanted to share one of my guilty pleasures with you and that is getting magazines in the mail!! I love getting the mail everyday! I think I get it from my grammie who made going to the mailbox an exciting thing! Oh the simple things in life.

Anyways over the past year I have started following a site called FrugalGirls! Everyday they offer freebies and great discounts/ One of their discounts that I have scored big on this year are MAGAZINES. They offer great prices for yearly subscriptions.

Here are a few that I enjoy getting every month!!!!

This magazine has great recipes, party ideas, coupons, organizational tips and makes as a great gift for friends. I highly recommend it! 12 issues a year for only $2.99

Another great find for $2.99 a year with decorating ideas, monthly interviews, recipes and great at home DIY projects!

Cooking Light= RECIPES, RECIPES, RECIPES. What is great about the recipes is that they feature tear out grocery shopping list and under 20 minute dinners which ROCK!!!

What are your guilty pleasures?

COUSINS

Good Morning,

Hope you are all doing well!!!! Today I hope to accomplish some serious planting!!!!

Now onto today's topic: COUSINS

Joey and I have very special relationships with our cousins and our sweet baby is going to be blessed enough to have cousins very close in age. I am having the first great grandchild on my side and no else is expecting but on Joey's side their is a baby due a few weeks after our baby is due and on his Zanoni side another baby due a few weeks after ours. Isn't that unbelievable but really special too???? We sure think so.

To fully understand why cousins are important to us read the back story below:
Joey's Story:

(Joey with his cousin Adam)

Joey is a week younger than his older cousin Adam they have always been close primarily because they were the first boy grand babies in their family and their close age. They have spent many summers together in Albia playing basketball and going swimming. Joey would often take trips to attend basketball camps with Adam. As they grew up they decided to attend the same college and be roommates their freshman year. What fun memories they have from that experience. Over the years they have been their for each other through transitional times, marriage, and babies. Joey considers Adam one of his best friends and really enjoys spending time with him. (This picture makes me chuckle because it was  taken a few new years eve's ago look they both have on the same outfit basically- I guess great minds think alike) Adam and his wife are expecting and are due a few weeks after us. Can you believe these boys would have babies close in age as well. Joe and I are excited to meet the other new addition to the Haluska family and create memories

Erin's Story:

 ( This is picture of my cousin Kevin and my other cousin Pat is missing! With him living in Arizona it is hard to get a recent photo so pretend there is another guy in the picture to get the full idea)

I LOVE my cousins Pat and Kevin. I consider them more like brothers than cousins. I spent most of my summers with them and most of my childhood memories involve them. We did everything together like lemonade stands, vacationing, playing baseball in the front yard, riding our bike, preforming plays ( this wasn't their choice but they did it for me) Over the years we have been there for each other as we started dating, went off to college, graduated, been at sporting events, engagements, and finally weddings. We have a special bond that I am extremely grateful for. I am so proud of Pat and Kevin and for the men they have become sometimes I cant believe how fast time has gone by. I pray that my baby creates a special relationship their cousins like I have with mine.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Have a great day!

MIdwife VS. OBGYN

Good Morning,

Are you loving this heat?? I AM!!!! Husband demanded that we turn on the air last night so we did but I am loving having the windows open and the sunshine. The plants and flowers are going wild with this sunshine!

On to the topic of this blog post today. First I want to say this is my personal opinion and I believe that everyone that is pregnant should make a decision that they are comfortable with. Prior to making my decision I did readings, talked to other mom's, and had many talks the Joe.

So. . . . . . . .

What is a Certified Nurse Midwife?????  is an Advanced Practice Nurse who has specialized education and training in both Nursing and Midwifery. CNM's function as primary health care providers for women and most often provide medical care for relatively healthy women, whose birth is considered uncomplicated and not "high risk," as well as their neonate. Certified Nurse-Midwives, in most states, are required to possess a minimum of a graduate degree such as the Master of Science in Nursing, or Post-Master's Certificate.

The Haluska Decision: After much thought, discussion, prayer, consideration and meeting with a CNM we had decided to use a midwife.

Why did we decide this?
- I go to an office where there are both OBGYN doctors and midwives. After meeting with a midwife I learned that they are with you from the moment you call the office and are going into labor. There are 8 doctors so I wouldn't be able to meet every doctor during my visits and there was a greater chance that I wouldn't know who was a delivering me. The doctors also don't come to the hospital until the last part of heavy labor unless a C-section is needed.
- Since becoming pregnant I have decided that I really wanted to try to go as natural as possible.
-We wanted to know who would be delivering our baby.
-Midwife's have a lower rate of C-section's

Some questions I have been asked since making this decision:
"Are you having your baby at home?" NO I am not having the baby at home. I will be having the baby at the number 1 rated birthing center in the Quad Cities.

"Did this person go to school?" Yes they are a nurse practitioner that has taken additional schooling in midwifery"

"What happens if something goes wrong?" They will utilize the doctor that is on call

My experience so far using the midwife:
EXCELLENT!!! I absolutely love all three of the midwives I have seen and feel 100% comfortable with them delivering our baby. I am highly encouraged with their techniques for a natural, soothing birth and their experience in different situations. The midwife as well is able to spend quality time with me and answering all my questions as a first mom. I love that they will be with me from the start to the finish and not just the last 15 minutes of hard labor.

Want to hear a birth story that just happened and that used a midwife and was natural?
http://joycherrick.com/?p=462

Mother's Day 2011

Good Morning Bloggers,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Wasn't the weather glorious??? I am so thankful that the weather was beautiful and the showers stayed away. We had a great weekend, the only downside is that it went way to fast!!!!

Saturday started the day with the 5K race in Geneseo. This race was in honor of my friend's baby who passes away when they were only 3 weeks old. It was a beautiful celebration of life. Joe and my mom ran in the race!

                                                Poppy and Grammie watching the race with me.

 Mom and Joey coming up to the finish line. Joe is in the black mom is in the baseball cap and white t-shirt.

                                           The Mr. feeling good after crossing the finish line.

The racers after they finished!!! Way to go, I was so proud of both of them, they made great time!

After the race we headed into the cities  and dropped mom off to get her haircut. Then the Mr, poppy and grammie and I headed down to the Farmer's market. It was a wonderful day to be by the river and to enjoy all the vendors. Some of my favorite vendors are the flower bouquets, homemade sweets, fresh dried pasta, and of course all the produce. I picked up some beautiful plants, asparagus and orange colored peppers.
After that we picked up Mom and headed to late lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.

Sunday I decided to do a brunch for the some lovely ladies. My mom, grammie and and aunt!!!!!! The menu included:
Apple Pancakes
Egg Casserole
Fresh Fruit
Homemade banana bread and cranberry orange.

                                                           The table

 The flowers were so fragrant, Lilac is one of my favorite so I was able to snatch some of my grandparents tree.

It was a wonderful time to be together and  celebrate the special day honoring the Mom's.
Joe even surprised me when I got home with a little something from him and baby H

Have a great Monday!

Spring Fever

Well I thought spring was right around the corner but that warmer weather just hasn't shown up. I think we are going to go right into summer and spring is going to skip over us here in Iowa.

Oh well. We have Spring Fever on Grand Ave.

It started with our bathroom remodel I know  I have been bad about posting pictures from it but I finally have the finished product pictures uploaded.  I was out of town for the week when it was done so I wasn't able to take before pictures but let me explain what it looked like. . .. 1970's COMPLETELY. We knew when we bought this house that was going to be our first big project to tackle. After the wedding it was on our brains!!!!!! Everything was retro and had to be completely removed down to the studs but we are over the moon happy with the end result:

The floor, the remodeler thought of this design for the tile and I love it!

Now on to the outside of the house:
The flower boxes are out, this weekend I plan to buy all the flowers to fill them next week. We planted a few new rose bushes and some azalea bushes. The hostas from last year have started to come through and are looking good. Joey has cleared out the garden we are planning on having:
-Potatoes
-Tomatoes
-Green pepper
-Broccoli
and a few other things.I plan to try canning at the end of the season so I want to add a few other things as well.

This year I am trying something new miniature lime, lemon, and orange trees. They have been planted for a few weeks and I have my poppy to thank for his help and expert gardening advice on that. The first sign of fruit I will post a picture.

Can you tell we are ready for summer???? We sure are! Have a great mother's day weekend and well catch up Monday bright and early.

Baby H Update

Good Morning Blogland,

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

Did you enjoy the sun yesterday, I thought it was wonderful. I am really hoping that the warm weather that is on the way for this weekend comes. Joe, my mom and I are doing a 5k this weekend (i am walking) and I would love if it was warm. Do you have any big plans for the weekend??

Well I thought it was time that I post a bump photo and an update on Baby H. Enjoy!

I am now 16 weeks I cant believe how fast it is going. I had a doctor's appointment this Monday and the baby's heartbeat was 140 and the baby is located much higher than it was last month. The doctor also stated that in a week or two I should start feeling movement from the baby. (WOW!!!!!!!)

Baby H this week:The baby is weighing anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces and a length of 4 to 5 inches and is growing fast. Muscles are getting stronger especially the back muscles, enabling your little one to straighten out even more. Your baby to be is looking more and more adorable with a face that has eyes complete with eyebrows and eyelashes and ears in the right spots. Your baby is becoming more sensitive to touch as well. He or she will squirm if you poke your bell- though you wont feel him squirm just yet.

Clothing: I am mainly wearing leggings with larger shirts and flowy dresses. My jeans don't fit anymore but i did buy a belly band which allows you to wear your jeans with it but haven't tried it yet. Yoga pants and capris are my favorite!!!!!

How I'm Feeling: Overall I am feeling a ton better than the first trimester. Recently I have started having headaches which I guess is common with the hormones I on the other hand think it is my body screaming for a diet coke-JOKING! I still get sick a couple of times a week but once that is over I am ready to go!!!

Cravings: This baby is still not a breakfast person, it is the one meal I would pass on if I could. However later in the day this baby loves fresh veggies and fresh fruits For the past couple of weeks I cut up a bunch of veggies and keep them in the fridge and strawberries and watermelon are my favorite meal of the day. Last night I had raspberries and they were delicious Joey thought I was going to turn into a raspberry.

Sleeping: Sleep is pretty much the same. I wake up about three times to visit the bathroom and recently have started to have more difficulty getting comfortable. I think this week I am going to buy a body pillow since I have been reading that makes sleeping easier.

Names: We have a pretty set list for both boys and girls. I wont be posting these names since we don't know what we are having and who doesn't love a surprise-right? I cant narrow it down to one boy name and one girl name I think I will know once we are holding our precious miracle.

Nursery: We have started looking at furniture and bedding and are aiming to start the transformation of the room in July. The baby market needs more gender neutral bedding, there isn't much to choose from.
And Now for the photo:

Good-Bye To 7 INCHES!!!

Good Morning Bloggers,

Hope you had a great weekend! We had a great weekend at home with some family time included. The weather was nice as as well although I think it could be a smidge warmer. Saturday we did some shopping for plants and stuff around the house and then headed to the new  Fast and Furious movie. IF you want to spoil the MR in your life take him to this- they will love it, you on the other hand will probably be creating to do lists in your mind throughout the entire thing but hey aren't relationships all about give and take????

Anyways you are probably wondering about the title of this blog post. Well on Friday I had a hair appointment and cut off seven inches of my hair. Yup you read that right I cut off 7 inches of my hair! For awhile I had been thinking about doing this for a change. I have had long hair for all of my life and I love it but recently I just wasn't loving it.  I wanted a change. When I told most people what I was thinking of doing they told me NO but when I got in the chair and talked with m favorite stylist we decided to go for it. I had brought in this picture of Jennifer Aniston's new haircut:

Mine ended up being a wee bit shorter. After we discussed the cut, my stylist put my hair into a ponytail and before I knew it was CUTTING, I said to him " are you doing it already?" and he said "YUP" At first I couldn't look when he put the ponytail in front of me, I said "COVER IT UP"  but after he was done styling it I feel in love with my new style!!!!!!

Another reason I loved doing this is because the 7 inches that were cut off are going to be donated to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is an organization that takes donated hair to make wigs for cancer patients.

So here are the conculsions that I have come to since the BIG CUT:
-if you can do something to help someone else, do it a little self sacrifice didnt hurt anybody
-Even though it is hard to picture myself with short hair I LOVE IT, dont be afraid to try something new!

Many have asked to post a picture as well. I do plan to this week with an actually bump photo as well. Stay Tuned!!!!!!!!!!!