Happily Andrews After

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I don't just mean the biological or adoptive mothers. I'm talking about ALL the moms. Maybe you're a foster mother, or a step- mother. Maybe you're a spiritual mother, or someone who is in a mentoring roll to others. You are all mothers. Its not just about biology. It's about the heart. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Find the precious moments that you can to cherish.

This week is National Infertility Awareness week. I thought I might take a moment and just express what infertility feels like to me. While at times I do feel sorry for myself, this isn't a pity post. Just an awareness one, and one that comes from my heart.  I truly believe that God makes families in many different ways. It can be biologically, fostering, adoption or maybe He choses that your family is just to be the people around you. Although I know that its sounds cliche, but I believe that God's plans for me are better than what I have for myself. I do not know if I will ever have a biological child. I hope too. Very much so. But, I also know if in my life, it is only ever my husband, dogs and I, that I can be happy with that as well.  However, there are days where the ache for a child can be almost overwhelming. When it seems like every woman at the grocery store is pregnant, or when invitations for baby showers, gender reveals and first birthdays arrive. This does no...

So many things have changed, even in the last 2 weeks. Steven and I are doing great. We have settled into life so well. I just realized last week that it has been almost a year since we moved into our home. We are loving the space in the yard and worked hard last summer to clean up the yard a bit. We will have to do some more this year, but its coming along very well. In December, we adopted a new dog. A true blue bluetick coonhound. She's such a sweetheart. She has some nervousness that we are working on. We have named her Peyton, and she gets along great with our other two dogs, Jarvis and Loki. Crate training/potty training is the biggest challenge, but we are making some progress! The battle against infertility continues, but we continue to be hopeful. Knowing that God can make families in many different ways. We actually have had my god daughter come to stay with us. It has been a life adjustment, but things are going well. I think everyone is a little tired, but, we wou...

All things relaxing...naps, coffee, crock pot meals, reading and even watching Hallmark movies... We overslept this morning, and did not have time to get ready to get to church. I am so thankful that our church streams the service online, so that if you can't be there in person on a Sunday, we can watch online. I love my church, so we don't make the viewing online a routine thing, but it is nice to have in times like this morning or if you are sick. It has been really rainy here this week, and although the sun is shining some today, its extremely windy. I'm a little worried about power outages, but for now, we are good. I try very hard not to complain about the weather. No one can control it. We only can control our reaction or moods to it. But, cheese and crackers, I am very much over the rain. Our yard is just a muddy mess and walking the dogs almost requires giving them a bath. February is my least favorite month. I don't get hyped up for Valentine's Day, a...

My husband is my best friend, and my favorite human.... but long before I ever met him, I had my best girlfriends in the world. I had met Beth and Tasha years ago, in college. We were classmates with the same major and so we almost always had the same classes. We were friends, but not like kind you hang out with regularly. One spring break,  there was a small group trip to Gatlinburg, and by the time we left, I knew I had made my lifelong friends. We have seen each other through so many things. We don't have to talk every day to know that we are there...but I definitely think that as we have gotten older, and have had more life events, we talk more.  They are the most supportive, honest, funny, and both humble people you will ever meet. They both are hard workers, love their families and so smart it will amaze you! As much as we have in common, we have many differences. Beth is a farm girl, who is surrounded by cows, dogs, and the most beautiful farm land that you will...

What are your favorite Fall ideas? We always go to a pumpkin patch, and corn maize. Those are just two every year traditions. Every year I say I am going to host a Halloween party, and this year we actually have the space, but I think I am just going to participate in our church's Trunk or Treat.  I want Steven and I to pick a theme and really go all out for it. I have 30 days to plan it, so I need to find a good theme and start getting the decorations together. I am thinking Mary Poppins and Burt? or Anne of Green Gables and Gilbert (which no one would get), or maybe even a character from Once Upon a Time. Not sure yet. I'm open to suggestions. Just as long as they aren't anything scary. Here's our fall bucket list: Corn Maize/Pumpkin patch/Hayride Carving Pumpkins Watch "The Wizard of Oz" Go to a football game (We have our tickets! Go Vols!) Head to the Peaks of Otter for some fall scenery and a picnic Visit some fall festivals Fall Camping? C...

What does a weekend look like for you? I am usually go, go , go, and getting my lists done. However, these last two weekends, I don't feel like doing anything. I make a list of things to do, and then I accomplish none of it. I don't know if I am just tired from the summer, or if the weather is changing and is just making me tired, or what.. but I have got to get on a ball! We have the holidays coming up and they are always a big deal for decorating and food preparations, so, the things I have planned, I need to get done. The last two weekends, I drag myself out of bed, drink coffee, and lay around until football games come on.  Blah... Today, we did manage to run some errands and do some laundry. But now, its dinner in the crockpot and Hallmark Channel movies. Anyone else feeling a little blah??