September

I'm going to update by month to get caught up and then hopefully start fresh for the year!

September brought many changes to our life. In late August, I got a call from my mom that my dad had gotten a skin cancer diagnosis of Melanoma. I quickly rushed down to Florida to be with my family. They scheduled him for a biopsy surgery and while we were at the hospital the day before for pre-op, I got a call from Carson that his dad was being admitted to a hospital across town for heart problems. He had a heart attack that afternoon while I was visiting him, and then again while he was having a heart cath procedure done. He was immediately scheduled for emergency bypass surgery the next morning. Carson, still in South Carolina, quickly packed up the dogs and drove through the night to get there in time for his dad's surgery. He arrived at my house about 4 am where I greeted him with a positive pregnancy test! We didn't have much time to celebrate on such a somber day as we both headed off to different hospitals to be with our dads for their surgeries.

My dad got an excellent report in that they were able to remove all of the melanoma with the biopsy (no chemo!). Caron's dad also came through surgery with a good report, but he would have a much longer recovery. We were able to share the news of our pregnancy with our parents before we left to return home. Both sets of parents were very excited for their first grand baby!

I can't remember what else happened in September (I think that was enough!). We did return home to have our first doctor appointment on September 28th where we got to see the baby and hear its heartbeat for the first time! Once we had the doctors appointment, we began quickly spreading the news!

Update on Life

Things have been pretty normal around here. I'm getting settled in at my job at Hallmark and I am loving it! I'm sure the excitement of going to work will wear off a little, but I love the people I work with enjoy the job. I don't think that I have mentioned on this blog, that I have started another blog as well: Molly's Homemade Happiness. This blog is focused more on the health changes that we have been making with the foods we eat and the products we use.

Carson is working and getting ready to get really busy with his research now that students are back. The back to school activities at Clemson have also kept him busy with his photography business, which is something that he really enjoys. I used the camera when Carson wasn't home today and got some great pictures of Rylie being lazy in the grass.

The puppies are doing great and getting along better. It is so much fun having two puppies!! I don't always say that but at the moment they are being really cute:) Rylie and I visited Grammy last week in Alabama. My parents also came up and brought Rylie's brother, Baxter. It was fun to see them play together and Baxter was very sad when we left. Sorry that all we ever post are puppy pictures, but until we have kids, this is what you get.
We sent some pictures to their breeder and she said they used to lay like this before we got them. We'll never know if they remembered each other but I like to think that they did.


While we were in Alabama we did some shopping. My parents have both lost a lot of weight and mom is very close to wearing the same size as me! It was fun to shop in the same department together so we got a "twins" outfit. I think she was more embarassed about being twins than I was but I got a picture to capture the moment!

Turned Around

Things have really turned around here. Carson got "rehired" on a hourly basis doing the same work he was doing with his assistantship. At first we were disappointed because his assistantship meant that his tuition was covered. So we were happy for a job but it was less than he was making originally once you factored in the tuition cost. But God had the best plan in mind and knew what he was doing. Carson's "new" job is temporary, meaning that he can continue the job hunt and leave when he finds something. Until now, we had not even thought of Carson looking for a job in industry until he graduated. The even better news is that we had hoped to stay in this area after graduation and that is more of a possibility now. For the next few months, we can only look locally for jobs so that Carson would be able to finish his thesis work and graduate. We don't have to broaden our search radius until closer to graduation.

God still holds the whole plan in His hands and we have no idea where we might end up, but He has opened our eyes and showed us to begin the job hunt now.

Continuing with the good news, I just got hired for a job at Hallmark. I'll try not to spend all of my paychecks there :) It's just a small amount of time each week, but that is just what I wanted. It will be nice to get out of the house some, but I love being home to take care of things so that Carson can focus on his work, research, and job hunt.

Our week

Our week has had its ups and downs. First let's start with the ups with some pictures from our outings this week. We went blueberry picking again last weekend. It was probably our last trip for the summer but I think we have a well stocked freezer. The heat has really kicked in here and so we're spending as much time indoors as possible. (Except for every 15 minutes that I have to take the puppy out!)With the intense heat here we have been taking advantage of the little pool we got for the puppies. Carson has even found me sitting in it just to cool off.


Our garden is also doing well, and we have been having a lot of bruchetta with our basil and delicious red tomatoes. I also discovered how to make mint tea last week. It is so refreshing and will be a staple in our refrigerator now.

On Monday our friends, the Wylies, invited us over to enjoy some homemade ice cream. It was delcious and we had a wonderful evening. Their little almost-two-year-old Lydda Grace got to play with Rylie. It was funny that Rylie actually weighed more than she did. They had a great time playing together. Rylie also made another friend that evening; another puppy the same age. They must have played for over an hour. Needless to say Rylie slept very well that night.

Not to be too negative but our week went down hill from there. Carson found out the next day that his graduate assistantship will end next week. So come August first we have no jobs. I already had a couple applications out that I should hear back on soon. Carson jumped right in and has been contacting people about jobs in the area. He has gotten a few positive responses but nothing concrete yet. So that is our focus at the moment. Every spare moment is spent on a job search or working on the jeep but we know that God has a plan for us and He will reveal it in His perfect timing.

Poor Jeep

I have always heard people talk about taking the plunge and being a one car family but have never been brave enough to try it. We are blessed in that we have two cars and no car payments so we have never needed to do this. However, Monday we woke up to this:

So we're doing the one car family thing for now. We don't want to rush out and get a new hood in case his turns up at a scrap yard. It has been interesting to see how we can function as a one-car family. I really admire those that do it on a long term basis. We are thankful that more was not taken (it looks like they were planning to steal the front grill and radiator too) and thankful that we are at a place in our lives where we can deal with just one car. I am able to stay home and spend time with the puppies and focusing on getting the house in order.

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence Day everyone! We celebrated yesterday and had a great day. We spent the morning berry picking trying to stock up on the blackberries while they are still in season. I think we got 13 pounds yesterday and that wasn't our only trip! I have so many plans in store for these delicious berries. The ones that weren't frozen were turned into jam this afternoon along with some peaches that we got yesterday. I now have about 15 cups of jam in my freezer.


Jam. I love it. Not only do I love the taste of it and put way too much on my biscuits, but I love the memories that come with jam. My dad's mom always used to make strawberry jam for our family (well mostly for me because I consumed the majority of it - sometimes I would share with my dad.) She made wonderful strawberry jam. Even though she lived far away and we didn't see each other very often, I loved that we had that connection through strawberry jam. Fast-forward a few years when we were on our annual summer trip to Alabama. My mom and her mom decided that it would be fun to take the kids (me and my brother) berry picking. Well, I had plans of my own and decided it would be fun to make it the most miserable trip possible for them (I was a little terror child- just ask my family). While the berry picking wasn't enjoyable to me, I did enjoy going home that afternoon and making jams of all different flavors!

[Helpful Note: We got some pretty bad blackberry stains on our clothes while picking them. When I got home I began looking for the best natural way to get it out. I was worried when the first few things I read said that they were the hardest stains to get out. You'll never guess what worked: boiling water. Whoever said you need harsh chemical stain removers was wrong!!]

Last night we made our own pizzas and then went to see some fireworks at Clemson. Our friend Lynn joined us for the evening and she had just purchased her first Digital SLR camera so Carson was able to teach her a lot about her camera. It was a very fun and festive evening!

Catch up time

Okay, so y'all have missed a lot so settle in for a nice long chat :) What? You say it's my fault? I know. I am a horrible friend. I will try to be better.

Lets start with Carson. He is in the middle of his research right now, trying to get all his data collected. It's a little slow going because he has to have student participation and there aren't that many people willing to participate. So once he has found 75 participants he will be able to move on and finish his thesis and graduate. He has some great industry contacts which should help with the job hunt when it comes time. He has also started his own photography business which has been really exciting.

Me, well I have been home taking care of my husband, puppy, and house. I have been doing tons of research on how to improve the health of our family. We have cut processed foods from our diets, tried to buy organic or local when possible, used chemical free-homemade cleaners and have even changed the toiletry items that we use. I have been encouraged to start a healthy living blog and as soon as I can come up with a name for it I will begin posting to it (suggestions welcome). It would be a great way to share the information I am collecting and to keep me accountable. I have really enjoyed making this change and am excited about the long term effects that it will have on our family, as well as the health problems that our children will be able to avoid because of it.

Our most exciting news right now is that we have a new addition to our family! We got a 9 week old black lab recently so life has been anything but dull here. Her name is Rylie and she is just as precious as she can be! My parents got her brother, Baxter so it will be fun to get them together often. For more pictures of Rylie (Purple collar), Baxter (blue) and Ginny (pink), follow this link.
Well I guess that wasn't too bad. I will do my best to keep you updated from here!