Milestones

Gabby is learning a lot lately.  She is a very independent when she plays.  She can keep her self occupied for hours.  Since I last posted, Gabby has learned how to crawl, and she is starting to learn herself how to walk. She picks herself up using our furniture, she is a very special little girl.  Amazing!  Mommyhood is the best thing in the world.   I have a nice life, and a beautiful little girl to keep me on my toes.  I love spending every minute with her.  She is amazing~ I would not want it any other way!
Here are some pictures of Gabby!

Fun at the park

Today, was family day so we took Gabriella and went to the park, It was really nice to have a picnic by the river and swing on the swings like little kids.  It is refreshing to be a little kid again, sometimes I think with having Gabriella, we can act like little kids.   Gabriella is getting so big these days, I think she is getting taller.  Dale and I had a picnic at the park, it was nice to spend time together with him and Gabreilla as a family.  Gabriella sure is a sweet little girl. We also seen some duckies at the park by the river.  After leaving the park we went to the cheese store and bought fresh cheese curds.  They are excellent, they aren't good if they don't have the squeak.  These however, have a great squeak when you chew on them.    I wished every day was like today.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a happy 4th!  Be careful!!!

5K

So, I found out this past week, I will not be able to do the 5K that I have been training for.  I have to work Saturday a full day and no one that I work with will swap with me.  Oh, well, I will just keep training any way, it makes me feel so much better.  Wished I didn't have to work on the weekends.  But, with nursing it is just part of it!  Hope you are all enjoying your Tuesday!

Shana a wonderful dog!

Yesterday May 23rd, 2012 was a very sad day for the Richter house hold.   One of our doggies died.  She was 12 1/2 years old, a black lab, and the most well behaved dog I have ever met.  She was wonderful!  I remember the first time she played fetch with one of our friends kids.  The boy would throw the ball, Shana would go get the ball and take the ball further out in the field for the boy to come and get it.  They played this game for like a half an hour.  It was funny.
Shana was 6 months old when we got her as a puppy.  We got her from a little Mexican man in Almond Wisconsin.  He was nice.  Shana cane with her dog house, her food, her leech, and her collar.  She was ready for us when we got her, which was really nice.  The one thing that I fell in love with was that Shana put her paws in my hands and slowly drifted off to sleep while I was petting her.  She almost fell over in the breezeway while I was petting her.  She was such a mellow mannered dog.
About five years ago, she went out into the field to chase a cat, or what she thought was a cat and it turned into being a skunk, the skunk sprayed her directly in the face.   She went completely blind in both eyes a year to the date of getting sprayed.  She wasn't so bad as a blind dog, she knew exactly where everything was.  She was an amazing dog.  She was however, a little bigger dog than expected, but I was always happy she could find her dish; being blind and all.
About a month ago, she stopped eating for the most part. That wasn't Shana because she always ate her whole dish of food everyday.  I knew the end was in sight..  I just never wanted to think about it or wanted it to happen.  
On Friday,  I brushed Shana really good and gave her a bath, I used shampoo and everything.   I think she really enjoyed her last bath and brushing.  She always loved to be brushed.  She was always a wonderful dog.  I don't think I ever yelled at her a day in her life.
On Wednesday, Shana decided that she had enough and she went to puppy heaven.  She was  in her favorite spot when she died and her head was in my lap.  She looked very comfortable and at peace.  Dale dug a nice hole to bury her in, by our beautiful pine trees and our landscaping. Dale gave Shana, her last ride on the truck bed to her resting place and then we covered her up in her favorite blanket and  buried her.  It was one of the saddest days in my life.  I lost a true friend.
May you be running through fields full of flowers and may you be swimming in the bluest and clearest of waters.  You were and an amazing friend and the most wonderful dog anyone could have asked for.  You will be missed.  I love you Shana!!!

NEW VINTAGE TOY!

Today, I went to a rummage sale and bought this vintage toy for 4 dollars.  Does anyone out there know exactly what I bought?  I am into vintage toys and other vintage items, so I decided to buy this item.
The question here is.... What did I invest in???

Check this out!

I have started a blog for Gabriella, hope you find it interesting.  check it out at   www.gabbyraye.blogspot.com Hope you enjoy it as much as I am enjoying writing it!

Wordless Wednesday!!!

Need I say more? Daddy time with Gabby!

My First Mommy's Day!!!

I have been trying to blog for the last week now and blogger has been having technical difficulties.  I am just glad that I am able to blog today!

My first mommy's day was wonderful!  Dale, Gabby, and I all went for a wonderful walk along the Wisconsin River, we saw a lot of ducks and ducklings.  They were so cute.  There were many boats on the river too.

I redid a lot of my flower beds, I made a couple new flower beds with old barrels that I had to cut, and weld the metal rings back on.  Interesting to say the least.  But they turned out AWESOME.  I do however have to say, I hope I have a green thumb.  I had one in the past, I am wondering if it is still there or did I loose it.  I wish I would have remembered to take pictures before I redid them so you could all see the work that was involved.  I am not very good at keeping up with the weeds (if you understand what I am saying).  All my flower bed were a big weeded mess.   But for right now they look amazing at least to me they do.

Gabby is almost starting to crawl.  Let the fun begin. She is so inquisitive it is amazing.  She want to watch everything.  She will be 7 months on the 20th.  I have the sweetest little girl.  She is the best thing in the world to me, besides her daddy of course.

But enjoy my Mother's Day weekend pictures, I sure do!!!  I will post more pictures of our nature walk, but I have to download them from my phone, we will see how technical I really am!

 a nature drive in the chain o lakes in Waupaca, Wisconsin

 My flower bed out of a barrel that I cut and welded

 my home with flowers on the railing that my hubby gave me for mothers day!

 My flower bed that I redid, looks awesome now!

 A frog residing in my pond with its buds!

 my landscaping

 again

 again

 My beautiful little girl

My two favorite people in the world!!!

Job decision

So, I have made up my mind.  I have decided to stay in my job for now.  The new job was a sweet deal, with more pay, no weekends or holidays, and absolutely no oncall so it was a great opportunity, but I just can't rationalize being away from my little girl more often.  They wanted me fulltime in the position for the first couple of months.  I can not be away from my little girl more than 2-3 days a week.  I know my job, and there will be a lot of changes with the new physician, but I will take it as it comes.  I guess, I have to put on my big girl pants and face the facts that I am a working mommy and I have to get over it.
Opportunities come and go every day, its the chance you take.




“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”  Thomas Alva Edison

Today is a new day

Happy Monday everyone.  I am very sleep deprived and hyper, unsure if the two go together, but I feel very gitty. Gabriella is 6 months old already.  I am amazed how BIG she is getting and she is sharp as a tack.  I am a very happy mommy.  I could not ask for a better daughter.  Even though the last few nights my hubby and I have only been getting 2 hours of sleep.  Unsure if she is teething or what, but if Gabby isn't getting any sleep; NO BODY in the house is. Minor detail!
This weekend has been interesting, the geese that took over the pond, I think packed up and left, or was chased away by this turkey, that seems to have a bum leg.  Maybe it is his retirement home, who knows, more the merrier. 

Hope everyone is having an awesome week... Yeah, I know it is only Monday but make the best of it!  Life is WONDERFUL so CELEBRATE!!! 

Have a great rest of the week!!!!

Winner of the Diaper Prize Package!!!!

Jill King 

you are the Winner of the diaper prize package.  

Please email me your address, what size diapers and what type you would like.  

Thanks for submitting!!!

Diaper and Lorax Book Giveaway

I was very fortunate to receive a package of Seventh Generation size two diapers from MYBLOGSPARK.COM and the Lorax story book by Dr. Suess partnership.  I can personally say I really like these diapers that I got free.  Would I use them again?  I would say definately, they are a wonderful diaper.  They are a little stiffer than the normal diaper, but they are not a bad diaper for all recycled material.  I was very surprised to how absorbent these diapers were.  I was impressed to say the least.  The best part is they are eco friendly and who doesn't want to save the environment.  Another thing that impressed me is that they are latex and fragrance free.  Impressive to say the least.  So I will be doing a giveaway on a package of Seventh Generation Diapers and The Lorax book partnership.  Please post a comment which product you would like to recieve free.  Seventh Generation has a whole diaper line to choose from so visit the link http://bit.ly/SevGen and pick out which diapers you would like to win via this giveaway.  Then once you visit the website comment me to tell me which Seventh Generation Free & Clear Diaper products you are most interested in and why you want to win this drawing.  

In this prize package you will receive 

One package of the new Seventh Generation Free and Clear diaper product 

& a copy of  Dr. Suess's The Lorax story book

If you want more chances to win..... Do a post of this giveaway on your blog and I will give you an extra 5 entries.  Please also comment me your blog address so I can visit you :)  

This drawing will end on April 27, 2012 at 6 pm... 

Thanks for visiting and good luck!

Life has so many Changes

This week has been very stressful for me.  I have been offered a different position at a different facility.  It is going to be more hours.  I am not understanding this right, they want me to work as an as needed basis, but they need me for full time with out benefits.  No time off, no insurances, and no extra benefits.  I am not sure if I would ever work full time and not get personal time off.  It is a very hard decision, because I absolutely love my time with my little girl. She is my life and I am not sure if working more hours this time in my life is appropriate.  To not see her as much as I see her now would totally break my heart.  I love only working 2-3 days a week.  It is a really hard decision.  It is a longer drive and it would be a major pay increase, but money isn't everything.  I just want to be there for Gabby and I don't want to miss out on her life.  It sounds really crazy, but I don't want to miss a thing in her life, and I think maybe sometimes I wished I would just quit.  Being a nurse and going through all that schooling it is not an easy thing to quit.  If I didn't have a career that I worked so hard for I would for sure just quit and be a stay at home mommy, but for now in my life, I really need to work and keep up my skills in my profession.  I will figure out my life, but the real question here is... What do you want to be when you grow up??

They're Back!!!!

These two geese were on our pond all day yesterday and I am thinking they are making a nest.  They were neat to watch. It is amazing that the the one goose stayed on the outside of the pond to keep watch out.  I believe that is the male goose watching out for the love of his life.  I think; by my last two post; I am turning into a regular little birdie watcher.  Oh well, it passes time.  Gabby seemed like she enjoyed watching them too, from the window.  Hope you all are having a wonderful Thursday!  

I am thankful for making new friends.  I am thankful for opportunities and I am thankful for my infectious giggle, because it always makes someone else's day!  Enjoy your day and give thanks everyday.  Life is a miracle with unless possibilities :)

Majestic

This morning I looked out the window to find this majestic eagle soaring right above our home, sorry couldn't get better pictures, but enjoy the ones I did take.

Gabriella is my Super Star

Gabriella modeling her new Sunday dress. 

My little farmer 

 Gabby taking her shoes off

Gabby getting caught by mama taking off her shoes

 Her love for C-A-R-R-O-T-S

Super Cute in her bonnet 

 With Daddy~ My two best people

Her love for jumping in her jumperoo 

Floor time with daddy 

Modeling her new spring coat with daddy holding her.  

I am totally in love with my little girl.  She is so special!  I love her so much

Hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!!!