The Review Extravaganza – July thru September #2014RE

2014 Review Extravaganza

Welcome to the third round of the Review Extravaganza! We’re quickly winding down on this year but you still have time to link up with the fun!! If you’re wondering about the rules, check out this post, otherwise grab the button and let’s get to this thing now! 🙂


July 2014

From the time I had baby girl on the 26th, I don’t really remember much… I’m so glad I have this blog and I forced myself to keep blogging so that I wouldn’t forget. Come the 3rd of July we went to our first Fourth of July celebration at Dive Club meeting. Again I vaguely remember everything but I’m soooo thankful for this blog and the fact that I forced myself to blog about it so I can remember. I was in such a sleep deprived phase for a while.

We had the worst luck this hay season, tractor broke down completely, borrowed a tractor and had 2 flat tires on it, the mower broke a few times, the baler caught on fire twice within 20 minutes, you name it, we probably had to deal with it. Hubby took 2 weeks vacation around the time baby girl was born to help out and spend time with his new baby and instead he spent that whole time in the hayfield dealing with these issues. I grew up on a farm and know things happen but at that time in my life I hated farm life, I blame the hormones. Toward the beginning of July we FINALLY got all the hay mowed and I was never so happy in my life. Like I said, I blame the hormones.

Baby girl visited her first county fair. This is where mommy grew up pretty much!

Baby girl and I went through some rough patches but we soooo made it! And I’m soooo glad we did!

I wrote a post that would make you scratch your head about life. It was all based off the TV show Family Feud.

We started the tradition of the same picture of baby girl so we could look back throughout the months! {Squeaky Clean Baby}

Baby Girls 1 Month Post

I made baby girls hand and feet prints in ornaments. I still need to finish painting the hands and I need to hang the ornaments on the tree still. I’m a slacker!

I turned 31.

August 2014

I started reposting Our Story again because I’ve actually written new parts but wanted to help catch everyone up on what has been posted up to date:

Missouri voted on Amendment 1 and it passed.

I let you in on a day in my “new” life.

And the story behind baby girls name.

The first day of school finally came and while I was excited I was extremely sad too. This was my first full semester as a Grad student. Very scary!

I told you about Tbug’s lessons on driving a Standard. Btw, the tractor is no longer there so she can’t run into it. and I let you in on a little known secret about my husband and his bracelet. With school starting I did a throwback to senior year of high school.

We went to the Lamar Fair to judge the Leadline competition.

It was finally time to share the monthly photos of baby girl. (Squeaky Clean baby)

And baby girl turned 2 months old.

We all learned why I don’t push carts the same day that baby girl attended her first Kansas City Chiefs game.

September 2014

I started off the month telling you about the Screaming baby. Lose the binky fink (which I really was against) and she screams!

I continued telling more about our story in repostings.

Labor Day Weekend!!

Hubby did his guest post telling everyone about the Woman of his Dreams.

Then I had an epiphany that I’m turning into my parents.

Hubby and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary.

 I updated you on the Time in my Life post that I try to do a couple times per year.

And finally came clean on the night we got thrown out of the hotel at 2am.

Tbug had deep conversations

And then there was the night I came home from Lit Theory so upset and frustrated because the theory we were talking about wouldn’t let my head shut down. Don’t worry, it happened almost every Wednesday night for the whole semester. We learned New Criticism, Freudian, Marxist, Feminist, and many others.

Time for the 2 month Photos (squeaky clean baby)

Then it was time for the 3 Month Post

I finally got my Birthday present and my Camera Bag. So the story on the birthday present is my husband ordered it, it got lost in transit and we had to turn a claim in on it and it finally arrived almost 2 months after my birthday!


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Wrapping Presents and other Musings

To say I’ve been a bit of a scrooge this year might be an understatement. This has been an extremely trying year for my family and I’ve taken it pretty hard… harder than most of the family I think. I wish I knew why… but I don’t. I keep praying for help in understanding. I know things that have happened in the past, now looking back was the best thing that happened, but still…

Anyway usually I’m extremely excited to put the Christmas tree up and I was. I really wanted baby girl to be a part of it but there were other plans… like nap time. I was frustrated. Oh well… life happens, right?

So then I’ve been putting off wrapping presents. Christmas is my favorite time of year but it comes and goes so fast and then you have to wait a whole year for it to come back around. Oh Christmas, where are you? Can you believe it’ll be here next week? NEXT WEEK! So I’ve been putting off wrapping presents hoping I could push it off and keep it going. Hoping I could gain my Christmas spirit I usually have, but I guess I’ve come to the reality that Christmas is coming and I better get a move on with the wrapping of the presents.

Ok one question… So how old does a kid have to be before there are no more Santa presents?

10 Reasons I like to visit Ft. Worth

In no particular order, here are my reasons for visiting Ft. Worth!

1. The Stockyards, duh! I absolutely LOVE the Stockyards. It’s part of history but it also just fun. Great shopping too! Usually, I buy a purse and a belt here, but this year I have a new purse/camera bag (LOVE) and my mom gave me a belt just before we left, so we were on the hunt for Christmas presents for Tbug.

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Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen – Ft. Worth, TX

Normally when we go to Ft. Worth we eat Mexican food pretty much for every meal… or at least TexMex. I mean you’re in Texas after all, right? This year was different though… I mentioned that we always eat at the same places when we’re down there so my mom made it a point for us to eat at different places.

The last night we were there after the finals were over, we were trying to figure out where to go have dinner when it was suggested to go to Pappadeaux. Now there’s a couple, but we wound up at the seafood kitchen. Not being a huge fan of seafood I told them no problem, I’d find something to eat which I did.

We entered the restaurant and they seated us. Said it had been a crazy night. When the waitress got to our table and we asked how she was (after she asked us of course) she told us not very good she’d been lied to. Then the service wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t outstanding either. I have a feeling she was told she could go home and then they seated someone at her table? But I’m just guessing.

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Macaroni Grill – Ft. Worth Texas

So a restaurant in Ft. Worth that is very near and dear to my heart is Macaroni Grill. Why you may ask, especially because it’s a chain restaurant, Well… when I was younger, in fact, the first year I showed at the AQHYA World Show we ate here. I absolutely LOVE Italian food. This restaurant is on University Drive just down from the Will Rogers Coliseum.  Perfect in my opinion :).

When we got there they brought water to the table for everyone. We hadn’t had anything to drink for a while so we all gobbled up the water but look how cute their water jugs are they left on the table. (more…)

The Review Extravaganza – April thru June #2014RE

2014 Review Extravaganza

Welcome to the second round of the Review Extravaganza! If you’re wondering about the rules, check out this post, otherwise grab the button and let’s get to this thing now! 🙂


April 2014

Our Babies were born this year within a couple weeks of each other.

Week 26, Week 27, Week 28, Week 29

Pregnancy wasn’t always easy on me, but I was given one heck of a man to go through it with! Then I pondered where we’d be had we not gotten back in each others lives.

I changed my blog title from Life’s a Beach to Midwestern at Heart this month. It was a big step but I feel more at home under this name… I liked the other but when I wanted a .com, lifesabeach.com was a realtor in California.

We took a class trip to Oxford, MS to check out William Faulkner’s old stomping ground. I also left my pillows at Comfort Inn down there and it would have cost me $30 to ship them home :(.

While there we ate at two different restaurants that were good Soul Food!

Hubby and I also had a quick trip to Memphis, TN.

Easter 2014

And we rounded out the month by taking KG to the Horse Chiropractor

May 2014

Week 30, Week 31, Week 32, Week 33, Week 34

The end of school stressed me out with the amount of work I had to finish at the end of the semester, but I did find time to participate in Tbug getting scuba certified and I made a Kentucky Derby Pie, hello YUM!

A story about “I don’t dance” and we’re not talking about me.

Mother’s Day 2014 and I got my Cherry Pie.. YUM! Actually I think I made it but maybe not, I can’t remember… maybe we should both go read this post?

We remodeled our Kitchen, finally!

You really should go learn about birds!

Baby Squirrel got a party in her honor! (That would be baby girl in case you you were curious :)) She had the absolute best party thrown by 2 very close friends of ours!!

Again I got accused of being a photography snob :(.

We spent Memorial Day at the Lake trying to finish up Tbug’s Scuba Certification.

And the last day of the month was NCHA Day and Tbug Showed!

June 2014

Week 35, Week 36, Week 37, Week 38/39

We may or may not have had a bunch of Maternity Photo outtakes

So I should mention that I ate a lot of Cheeseburgers right before baby girl was born. That was the only thing that sounded good.

We celebrated Father’s Day. Hubby actually got his present almost a month before Father’s Day because I had 2 different coolers picked out but wanted his final decision, plus I needed the truck to haul it and while I was at it I made him carry it too.

My list of things they don’t tell you about pregnancy…

All that bad with the pregnancy didn’t matter as Baby girl finally made her appearance, right on her due date (by our calculations not the doctors. And we told the doctor my due date all along…)


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Hilton Garden Inn, Ft. Worth TX

Wow, am I coming or am I going? I’m not really sure! btw, did you know this is the last consecutive date we’ll see in our lifetime? 12-13-14. Interesting thought for the day.

So I’m in Ft. Worth, TX this weekend. Hey, I love this town! We’re down here for the 2014 NCHA Futurity. So I thought I’d give you a quick peek at the hotel we’re staying at… the Hilton Garden Inn over on Rosedale. I’m not sure the Rosedale part is necessary, it’s just that’s how I know how to get here.

I had to snag an image from here because I forgot the outside of the hotel. My arms were usually full…  

(the other pictures are mine!!)

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