Motherhood...

What a great way to lead into our great news and special pictures. I had a 12 week ultrasound yesterday and our cute baby #4 is looking healthy and strong; strong heartbeat, healthy spine and active already.  I'm farther along than I thought, so it looks like 13 weeks and a few days.  I'll take any days that get me closer to the next trimester. 

I get asked constantly if I want a boy, and I have to admit that after yesterday I was really hoping to have a chance to have a little boy in our home, but it made me so upset when the interesting ultrasound technician predicted a girl and I was sad. (Who can tell at week 12 anyway?) What's the big deal anyway? What is wrong with having four girls, like it's a disappointment to have four beautiful girls.  So if I do have another sweet Gibb girl, be very happy for me, because it's a miracle every time a baby comes to someone, and especially after going through what we do to bring them here.   Besides, who would be unhappy having any child with this man?

I've just felt sick most of the time, but last week had a reprieve for 6 whole days in a row.  I guess my house really needed to be cleaned.  I also prayed for a glimmer of hope to come to me, and that was Heavenly Father's way of showing me that answer to my prayer.  I also had a chance to get away this weekend and spend some time in the mountains with some friends. I had a great time and laughed so hard it made me younger.  I keep thinking about that when this week I feel like I'm going to pass out and throw up for two days in a row.  It didn't help that Sydney didn't feel well and we spent yesterday afternoon at the toilet, but I was given a great deal of strength and stomach power to take care of her.  She's fine, but it was an interesting day being a pregnant mommy.

I'm grateful for the sweet miracles that have happened. I was diagnosed with blood clots a few weeks ago and they are getting better.  I have a husband who loves me enough to take over in the house and wait on me when I'm not feeling well, when he knows that all I want to be doing is blessing my family and home.  I'm so used to being able to accomplish so much in a day.  It's been humbling to take a seat and really try to enjoy the chance to take naps and move at a slower pace.

I keep up my movement. I have a treadmill next to the couch, so I try to get at least 20-30 minutes of walking each day.  It's taken a shift in my thinking to put myself in a baby producing mode for my body rather than a weight release mode.  It's amazing watching this body become ready to hold a child and give birth.

I just picked a pint of beautiful raspberries from my garden, 3 acorn squashes, a melon, tomatoes and zucchini.  I am blessed with bounty.   I am thankful to be alive and experiencing the good along with the challenging things in life. 

My 15 minute De-cluttering Mission!

This week I've focused on decluttering for 15minutes a day.  I got so into it, I decluttered 15 minutes for 3 times a day.  I started with my kitchen and it's gone from there. I can make dinners quickly, and find food in the cupboards to snack and make meals with. IT HAS BEEN FREEING!  I've followed flylady and I think after these 2 1/2 years of being in my new house, it hit.   I've been holding onto everything, because I thought if I got the house clean and organized, I'd have to move again. I've moved every 2 years, or so.  Well, I was not going to move again....can you feel the stubborn in my voice?  All I did was make my life harder and take time from my family.  

I love to walk into my kitchen!  It is really the heart of my home. 

The RESULTS: I've got my every kitchen cabinet, besides the china (which I will use these two weeks and see how often I use them.), and my desk is next.  I threw one black garbage bag a day and 3 on Friday.  My house didn't look that dirty.  I can pick up the rooms in 5 minutes with a room rescue.  27 fling boogies end up being 35 + fling boogies.  If this sounds unfamiliar, go check out www.flylady.net.

I am on my way to my desk in the kitchen.  These are the steps I go through.

1.) Decide what room and space is Most Important Right Now for your families functions.
2.) Got three baskets out, one for trash, one for give away, one for keep. I used a small handled basket for those things that need to go to another room, or space.
3.)15 minutes in that space, or area - Set the timer
4.) DO I LOVE IT? DO I USE IT? CAN IT BLESS SOMEONE ELSE?
5.) Take the garbage out, take the give away to the car, and take the basket of things that belong to other rooms and put them AWAY.
6.)Put those things you love back in their place and smile and give yourself a pat on the back!

This is what I do.  It feels great and I'm well on my way.  I just keep remembering that someone else can be blessed by my excess and the things that I don't love anymore.  Garbage is garbage, so I know not to share that with someone else by donating unusable and broken things.

I continue on my journey, motivated and feeling so much joy at night when I think of all that is changing in my life. 

Week 3: Home Clean Up

My kitchen before ............                                             and AFTER!

My pantry before...........                                                 and AFTER!


It was fun and it all started with shining my sink.  Making dinner was a snap, finding healthy snacks, and being in a kitchen with so much less clutter is so much easier to cook and clean.  I thank those who are holding me accountable and the flylady for teaching me how to shine my sink!

Recycle My Friends!

I have been in contact with a lady from the Recycling Coalition of Utah: Davis County.  Mountain West Recycling is offering a great deal to Kaysville City Residents.  Take advantage of recycling in Davis County through their services. I currently recycle them and my garbage can is rarely full. I feel like this is such a simple and easy way for anyone to help the environment.  I feel very satisfied when my recycling cans are filled to the max and my garbage can still EMPTY!  Such a difference.

We moved to Utah from Maryland, a very small state with limited space for  garbage and recycling. Garbage had to be shipped to another location.  We recycled every week and we had this tiny garbage can that we rarely filled their too.  We have a beautiful state, filled with wonders unique for our desert community, and rich next to a lake. Wouldn't it be great to have Davis County see the effect that one city could have on the garbage load if we all recycled. It challenge you all this week to look into recycling services in your area, and start filling those recycling bins. We can all make the effort to clean up this beautiful earth that God created for us to enjoy!  Have a great day.

Please visit: https://utahrecycles.org/  and   Mountain West Recycling

Week 2: HOME CLEAN UP

Well, this turned out to be a unique week for me. I started to come down with something on Tuesday morning and to my own credit, rested. I don't usually do that, and then end up getting really sick trying to push it...so go me!

On Monday, I worked on the medicine cabinet next to the sink.  It is the one used everyday and gets rifled through all the time.  Everyone has pill containers now.  Another plus is a put all the play dough in a container with all the tools and stuff. I just have to get one container out to play.  It's worked great. So not as much to do here, but I still threw a lot away.

Before	After
Before	After
	After
Spice and baking cupboard.  I filled a garbage can with the stuff I threw from here. It looks better and I even went onto the spice drawer. It's already come in handy today when my oldest daughter asked where the cinnamon was and I could tell her!