I'm making pie!

I have a pumpkin pie in the oven and I'm not talking about the baby. I am actually baking. I froze apple pies last week. Today, I am making a pumpkin, as a gift. Our friend Tyler is having Thanksgiving with his family tomorrow because he works on Thanksgiving. I don't remember how I offered or why I offered this service, but I am making his pies for him.
I have to say, the smell in the house is absolutely captivating and I won't end up eating the whole thing, it is a perfect trade off. I'll eat my pie on Thursday.

I am preaching this week at a couple churches. Since Dustin will be home tomorrow and I have been busy with corn all week, I am hoping since I am home tonight that I can get my sermon done. This will be the first time I have preached since leaving my call. I'm nervous. I hope it will be a piece of cake, or at least pie.

Auctions sale! A day with my dad! Lunch at Crackerbarrel and a Dilly Bar at DQ. Priceless!

The last week has been difficult, but today ended up being a good day anyway.
By Saturday night, Dustin will have spent 120 hours at the ambulance working. Most of them on call or primary duty. That has meant that I have been not only missing him like crazy, but also working really hard to help keep harvest going and our life as we know it happening.
Can I just say, this is hard enough when I am normal, when I am incubating a baby. This is nearly impossible. I am tired anyway, but I am close to exhausted.
Have no fear my friends, I am quite good, sleeping wonderfully well and find that I am sometimes capable of far more than I knew. The fact that I am doing all this stuff while pregnant, I have decided makes me superwoman. (Please let me have my delusions of grandeur...Thank you)

My dad came down last night to go with me to an auction sale today. With Dustin at work, someone needed to go to an auction about 140 miles from here and look and bid on a no-till air seeder. I was elected (I was also the only one available or capable, so more likely I lost)

My dad went with me to look at the air seeder and make sure it was good. (how would I know) I actually did know, but he also came with for moral support. You see, up until now, the most I have ever bid on at an auction sale is a table and chairs and I paid $120. Today, since I was going to be spending over $80,000, I needed a bit of moral support. Dustin also needed some moral support about sending me to spend the money.

I didn't get the air seeder. It went way too high. Well, probably not, but more than we were willing to spend at this time. It was in great condition. I did get to bid a few times. Still, way to rich for our blood. I hate trying to bid on machinery, I hate the responsibility of spending that much money. I will stick to antiques, collectibles, and used kitchen gadgets. I really am not meant to spend large amounts of money at sales like these.

May I also mention. Pregnancy brings on the need to pee all the time, as many of you know. Having to go pee all the time in a port-o-potty when it is 5 degrees out, is sheer torture.

After I didn't get my air seeder. Dad and I drove back to Bismarck before going home and ate some lunch at Crackerbarrel.
We Then came back to Jamestown, stopped at DQ and bought Dilly Bars for the ambulance crew and hung out for a while.

We're now at my house and he's occupying himself with vacuuming my kitchen and living room. This use to bother me, but I am now too use to it to care. We listened to progressive talk radio all the way there and back. Talked about how the Bush administration has screwed up our country beyond all measure. We talked about how we hoped Barack Obama would be able to change things, even though it seems like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. But we are still hopeful. It was a great day.

I got a great day with my dad. It was priceless, even if the air seeder wasn't.

Now, I'm going to go play with my dog.

Corn harvest!

So, today Dustin was called into the ambulance, so that left my in-laws and me to harvest corn. Now, the elevator is a bit slow with corn because they can only dry so much at a time. Last night we parked the semi in line and that was this morning. The Freightliner wasn't going to be ready until 3:30 p.m. This information came to me at about 8:30 a.m., so it tells you how backed up things are.
So, we decided not to start until after dinner. (My FIL and I made an executive decision, Harriet was at the dentist, so she didn't get a vote)
After dinner, I ran combine and filled trucks. We got the semi filled and the Freightliner, after it came back from the elevator, was filled again.
Those are now in line again at the elevator, we should get them back tomorrow.
The fact that we have a really good corn crop is great. The time it takes to get the corn crop is a pain. In a couple days we should have the second semi going too, but until then, I will enjoy the fact that I am done harvesting by 5:30 today.
I am now going to Jamestown to have supper with my husband and his EMT partner, who was in my EMT class, and we will then work on cardboard reindeer for the town holiday parade of lights, which is the day after thanksgiving.
I will try to take and post pictures of corn harvest soon. It is so cool. I comes into the combine really fast and in the sunlight, it looks like we are harvesting gold. It's so fun.
later

Fun Day! But I'll share the other stuff first.

My last post was less than happy. The tax appointment went great. The best one I've ever been involved with and this year I didn't cry. (I didn't cry in years previous, just left feeling crazy) This year with pregnancy hormones, if it was tough, I would have cried. But that was yesterday.
Today....
Dustin has been at the ambulance again today and tonight. So, kinda weird not having him at home for 48 hours.
In other news. Dustin was elected to church council on Wednesday. Dustin and I didn't make the annual meeting. Dustin was getting ready for a state inspection and needed help with a couple projects and I stayed to help him.
After the projects were done, we called his mom and dad on the way home. Harriet greeted him with, "You and your father were both elected to the church council." Heehee. It makes me laugh because we've been attending there for about 6 weeks. Dustin grew up in this church (or it's sister church actually) but this was a bit funny.
Now...Fun news of the day.
Tonight, without a doubt, I felt the baby kick. I didn't know if I would for awhile, but I'm pretty sure the fluttery feeling my my stomach was the baby kicking. I'm so excited. It was so cool.
I can't believe that the baby is getting big enough for me to know that it is in there. (We really need to know the sex so I can assign an appropriate pronoun).
Some days I really hate this pregnancy thing, I'm moody, crazy, hot then cold, I can't think straight and keep a thought in my head. Today...I love this pregnancy thing. To know that this little person is growing inside of me is the most humbling experience. I never thought I's know what it was like to be part of a miracle, but now I do. This is a miracle. Life is.

I still hate bookwork! I'm getting a flu shot today.

So, I'm not very far in the farm book fiasco of 2008. Dustin pointed out that we don't have to have all our ducks in a row yet, this is just a preliminary appointment. Maybe so, but I did mention, actually having an idea might be nice.
He agreed. If he loved me, he would do this himself.
Okay, I know, he does love me. We would maybe be worse off if he was doing this himself.
grrr.
Jeans are still good.
I get a flu shot over lunch today. The county nurse is in town today. whoohoo. I don't have to work hard to get the shot.

I hate bookwork! I love new jeans!

This Friday, we have our pre-tax appointment. This is the appointment where we go see our accountant and look at expenses, how much we made, etc. etc. And well. Try to figure out what our tax bill will be. It gives us a chance to also prepurchase seed or equipment for the next year and figure out how it will effect our taxes.
This is how it works every year. Figure out you profit, loss, expenses, etc. etc.
Now. I am in charge of trying to get this organized. I suck at this and I have to basically figure out the entire year in 4 days because I haven't worked on this stuff well....all year.
I will get this done. But I guarantee that I will cry at least once a day until it is done.

One the flip side of hate is my new jeans. I love them. I ordered maternity clothes on Friday and the first package, with the jeans, came today. I was down to one pair of jeans that fit and they didn't fit great. So, for the weekend, other than church, I was wearing yoga pants. I was relieved when the clothes arrived today. It saved the day.

Well, that is my life of love and hate.
later

A New Picture!

This is the newest picture of the baby. The head is to the left of the image, it's got a circular shape, you know, like a head. To the right of the head is the spinal cord. Fully formed, looks good, no spinalbifida. The abdomen is fully formed and enclosing all the internal organs now. The doctor could see all this. I could see the head, the spinal cord and the legs kicking like crazy! I can't feel anything yet, but I'm sure once I do it will be crazy.
Baby was breach in my womb when the ultrasound was done, so we get to have another ultrasound because there are a few things that the doctor can't see when the baby is in this position. We were also unable to see the sex of the baby because of the position. We will hopefully find out at the end of this month at my next appointment.
The baby is now about 5 inches long. I can't believe it. It's healthy and I'm happy.

Here's to sleeping like a baby and waking hopeful!

I went to bed watching the election results come in and I haven't been this happy in a long time. McCain still took ND, but it's the best I've seen a democrat do in the state in my lifetime. It was so peaceful to go to bed happy and hopeful for the future. I woke up and was thrilled to know that our next president had been chosen and it meant that our current president was on his way out the door.
This is a good day and a great start to a wonderful future.

Go Vote!

Today is the start of something good! GREAT! actually. Today we will elect Barack Obama as president. I'm so excited.
Now, in NoDak, I admit, usually my vote doesn't really count. It's a red state and blues like me are few and far between. But for the first time since LBJ, we may give our electoral votes to a democrat. North Dakota is a statistical dead heat, we are even considered a "battleground" state this year.
Obama even did advertising here! That never happens, the only reason I usually see presidential adds is because we live so close to MN.
Today could be a very good day...Even better...I feel like my vote really mattered. It's close and maybe, just maybe, if all the good Obama supporters show up at the polls, we can have a North Dakota win for the Democrats! I gives you a chill, doesn't it?
GO VOTE!

Sometimes I don't know if the extra hour is good.

Yesterday was a bit up and down for me.
Morning--Great. Our pastor is back in the pulpit, he had a heart attack about two months ago and has been recuperating. He looks great and his sermon was wonderful. I knew him while I was in college, though not well, anyway, I loved listening to him then, still do. So glad he's back. Church was just good.
All Saints--A little sad, we've had some tough losses this year and even longer ago than that and thinking of them brings a little joy and a little sadness.
Afternoon--Okay. My mom came and got my dad and then had lunch and went home in the afternoon. My dad and my father-in-law had a bit of a misunderstanding and well...all is fine now, but I think my dad had to go home and get over it a little bit. My dad is here so long during harvest that it can get a bit hairy to have that much family.
Later Afternoon--Great and a little sad. I know you will all find this ridiculous, but I had to finish cleaning out my Toyota with the last remains of my office at church. Yes, that means that my vehicle has been a storage unit for a month, there just hadn't been time and since I have some lifting limits (sometimes pregnancy really cramps your style) it hadn't been done. Since it was so beautiful out today, I could work on it and carry stuff in small bundles and put it in the rubbermaids that I had reserved for this in the grainery. I feel a great sense of accomplishment, but a tinge of sadness to watch this huge part of my life go into storage. I went through a lot of memories, good and bad. Now, ask me if I miss church work. I really am loving this time off. I don't know how long it will last, but for now...Great. I was worried and now I don't know why, it's crazy. My life is still full and vibrant, just in a very different way. I wonder how I was doing everything as long as I did.
Evening--Awful. Dustin and I got in a fight. All was fine by the end of the evening. I just hate it when that happens. It was my fault, I can say that for sure, I was an ass. I knew I was and as I went to apologize he was still mad and yelled and well...much crying from me ensued. There was a lot of apologizing on both sides, but all was good by bed.
This morning--finally. I have had a headache since Friday afternoon. This morning, while still a little bit there, it mostly has gone away. If it continued and maybe if it comes back today i will call my doctor and find our what else besides 1 Tylenol I can do for it.
Other good news. Doc put me on Zantac for the heartburn, such a lifesaver! This man is my new hero. He said it will likely only get worse. If this stops taking care of it, we'll put me on something stronger, but right now this has the best safety use rating for pregnancy, so we'll start here. Right now my OB is on my list of favorite people.
More on the new baby later.