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About Natalie

I am a Jesus Lover, a wife, and a mother. And I'm making the best of what looks like a mess!
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What I Wore In Kentucky

I first heard about What I Wore Wednesday from Amanda, and more recently I’ve been inspired by Maria’s weekly ensembles. I thought the outfits I packed for my trip last week would be a good place to start since they represent what I wear on a regular basis, and I know that the world is just dying to see what I wear day to day.
I’ve included a photo of what I wore and where I wore it (kinda). They were just really quick iphone snapshots so I apologize for the photo quality. Maybe I will work on that next time.
It was cold when I flew into town wearing this comfy casual get up.
Sweater- SO. My friend sometimes gives me the clothes she doesn’t wear anymore.
Shirt- I don’t remember, I’ve had it for a LONG time.
Pants- Target
Shoes- Payless

On the plane with SJ

Next up, we drove from Louisville to Cincinnati and I needed to have layers because it was about to warm up.

Jacket- American Eagle (thrift store)
Hoodie- Gap (thrift store)
Tshirt- Ascend The Hill concert
Jeans- Doll House (thrift store)
Shoes- Aldo (thrift store)

Painting pottery at Color Me Mine.

I call this next one my cheap outfit, because I usually prefer maximizing my little budget by purchasing quality clothes second hand, but this outfit proves that sometimes I just buy cheap clothes first hand.
This is a sarcastic pose by the way.

Sunglasses- Dollar Tree
Shirt- Walmart
Jeans- Target
Shoes- Payless

Lunch at Abuelo’s

Lastly, I wore this dress to church while I was away and I flew home in it.

The dress is from Ross.

The first thing I did when I got home was check on the chickens and the garden that’s when J snapped this photo.
I don’t always wear flats by the way. I love heels, boots, and sandals, but these simple shoes were the most packable and versatile for this trip. And as far as jewelry, well, I need help. I am in a complete accessory rut so if you have any suggestions let me know!
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 25, 2011|Uncategorized|7 Comments
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Peaking At Me Packing

I might be, just slightly, a little obsessive compulsive when it comes to packing. I am not one of those throw some clothes in suit case type, but I am also not the type to bring everything but the kitchen sink either. I actually try everything on that I want to bring and then do little scribble drawings of what makes the cut.

I am just visual like that. I have always done this for every trip as long as I can remember. Some sketches are more elaborate than others, but I was in a hurry this time.
Packing for the two kids adds a whole new dimension to my routine. Here are the top ten thoughts that ran through my head when I packed for this vacation.
1. How can the kids have so many socks that do not have a match?
2. Will butt paste get through TSA?
3. What was the high supposed to be on Thursday?
4. I can get away with only two pairs of shoes. I think.
5. Looks like I need to do some laundry.
6. What is buzz lightyear doing in the underwear drawer?
7. I had no idea this shirt was stained!
8. Man, I really need to do laundry.
9. I don’t know if this suitcase is going to zip.
10. Okay, time to do laundry.
Tomorrow I am participating in “What I Wore Wednesday” showing what those drawings looked like when I wore them. Now go check out Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 23, 2011|Uncategorized|6 Comments
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Where I’ve Been

I’m actually not back home yet, but I am back on the blogosphere for the first time in a week. The trip to Kentucky/Ohio has been a success.

The kids and Crew the dog at my parents house.

J was not able to come with us for this trip, but the airport security let him go to the gate which was nice.

I can’t wait to see J again. It’s hard to say goodbye for a week.

Z got his first set of wings
and the kids did great on the plane thanks to some bribes snacks. One of the first things I got to do was enjoy an awesome girls night. The guys watched the kids and my mom, sisters, and I all went out and painted pottery together.

My two sister in laws and me at Color Me Mine

We also got to visit with extended family

My niece with my aunt the one that does the paintings.

and I even got to go to my sister in law’s sonogram checkup where they discovered that they are having a boy! I don’t think I mentioned that “the other Jeremy & Natalie” were pregnant again. So my niece and nephew will be 14 months apart and Z will have a boy cousin on my side of the family. YAY!

It’s been a busy week full of good times. I will share more later.

By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 23, 2011|Uncategorized|2 Comments
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Looking Up

This week I am feeling so much better and had a wonderful day spending time with my little family before the kids and I head out to Kentucky. Tomorrow is the big travel day. 2 1/2 hours in the air with both kids. It will be interesting to see how they do. I am not really worried about Z. SJ has flown before too, but that was when she was an infant that could take a bottle and sleep in my arms. It’s a different story now, but my mom will be with us so hopefully it will all go smoothly. Z is so excited about flying! Each year holidays, conversations, and everyday discoveries become more exciting for him, which make it more exciting for me, and more fun for all of us.

I probably won’t be posting too much this week since I will be away, but I am sure I will be adding pics to my Instagram. Instagram is an app that allows you to share little glimpses of your everyday life through snapshots taken on your phone. They have different filters to choose from and of course you can comment and “like” on all your friends photos too. You can also post them on Facebook or Twitter. I only have a few friends that do it, but it’s been fun. My profile name is messymom you can look me up if you have an account. Here are the last 4 pictures I have on my Instagram.

Fresh cilantro from our garden, which went straight into my guacamole. YUM!


SJ at the park with for this “little” guy’s first birthday.

I titled this one “Life at the zoo”

That’s J on the roof of our friends soon to be loft apartment. This has been his primary building project over the past few months.

More to come

By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 16, 2011|Uncategorized|4 Comments
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Home Improvements

In April a tornado touched down nearby and some high winds caused damage in our neighborhood. Well, a week ago we had a team of roofers come out and pound on our house for several hours and by sunset we had a whole new roof. Plus J and one of our friends built a gable. The roof over our front entrance was flat before and this addition was much needed to complete the look of this old house we have been renovating for the past 7 years. It’s not done yet and I do not want to claim any projected date of completion. I have been living with Tim the Tool Man Taylor J for long enough now to know that every project takes way longer than expected. I am excited about the little makeover though. Every step closer to completing our dream is something to celebrate.

I will do some before and after pictures of the gable when we are done. J still has to add the staggered shingles. I didn’t really like that idea at first, but we drove around half of the day on Monday for J to point out different homes that had this style. It’s a great strategy really, if he holds me hostage long enough I will agree to anything. I kid. It does amaze me though that I never noticed any of these houses before. And that is not the first time this has happened. I never cared about fences. You could have asked me about whether fence poles should face inward or outward and I would have responded “fences have poles?” As it turns out as general rule it is considered a curtosy to have the finished side of the fence facing away from your property. Besides, fences were created in part for protecting your home. It’s too easy for someone to climb or peer over when the rails are on the outside. However since we have done all the research we’ve noticed that a lot of people actually have the outside facing inside their yard. This makes sense to me because most of us are actually trying to keep our children or pets caged in more than anything. Then there are some people that have a bigger budget that have the picket fences finished on both side so the poles don’t show at all. As you can see from this photo of SJ we did not have that luxury.
I think that’s enough Better Home’s and Gardens talk for one day. Regardless of what shingles or materials we end up using I am just thankful for the roof over my head AND that insurance paid for it.
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 13, 2011|Uncategorized|4 Comments
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Loss and Grief

Yesterday was rough. I was tending to the chickens and I didn’t realize one was under the framing when I set the coop back down. You have to lift it up because there is no door, so it’s best to have two people, one to hold it and one to go in. It’s pretty heavy.

Yesterday I was doing this alone and when I was done I immediately noticed there were only 4 of the 5 chicks in the cage so I went to look for the escapee. When I saw her lying on the ground motionless I knew something was wrong. We had painted their toenails to tell them apart. The injured chick was named Rye. We each have a chicken that we consider our own and Rye was mine. She was the first one to have a name and it actually started as R.I. for Rhode Island which is the breed, but I spelled it Rye like the grain because I thought it was cute. She had green toes because that’s my favorite color. She was the feistiest of the bunch and the hardest to catch which is probably why she was busy running off when I set the cage down. She was still alive when I found her, but it didn’t look good. I absolutely lost it emotionally. I couldn’t bare to see her injured because of me.
I have had a very difficult time identifying what to do with my emotions. I wanted to reprimand myself for caring about a farm animal when there is so much pain in the world, so many more important issues to worry about. But then Matthew 10:29 came into my head, the verse about how not even a sparrow falls without the Lord knowing. He does care about my chick. He cares about me, and my feelings. HE has enough love for all of it.
When I had Z I thought I could never love another child the way I love him, and I’ve heard this is a common feeling for some parents. Then I had SJ and my love grew and I know I could have more children and I would love them all the same. Feeling sorrow for a sick chicken does not mean that you don’t feel for the people suffering in the world.
The incident took place in the afternoon. I kept checking on the chick in between desperately checking the internet for a solution. Should we separate the chick? Do we put it out of it’s misery? Do I need to leave it alone? Will she recover? I knew I would not be able to sleep at night wondering if the chick was dying a slow painful death and I cried out to God to just take Rye if she wasn’t going to survive. Soon after that I checked on her for the final time, she had passed. It was such a painful thing to process, but I felt peace knowing that I could have closure. I feel guilty about what happened to that chick and I will continue to ask myself questions. I know she is a chicken and I’ve experienced death in many ways, but never due to an accident on my part. Afterwards Z knew I was upset and asked me if he could give me a kiss to make me feel better. I said sure, and he asked me where it hurt. He always does this, and he has a look of genuine concern every time. I sniffled not sure how to respond, but he knew as he leaned forward and gently kissed the tears that rolled down my cheek. He is fine by the way, everyone in the family has handled this so much better than I have, but I will be okay. I have kisses from my little boy and a heavenly Father that cares about birds, so I am going to be okay.
This photo is 3 weeks old. The chicks are much bigger now.
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 10, 2011|Uncategorized|6 Comments
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A Lesson In Stealing


I’ll admit this is a pretty good age combination for my two kids. Z is going to be 4 soon so we seem to have fewer irreconcilable differences and SJ is 14 months which means she isn’t quite to the stage of running off faster than I can catch her. In other words neither of them are at the terrible two age where temper tantrums and defiance abound.

A year ago I was scared to death to approach a grocery store with both children.

If Z wasn’t strapped in he was darting off in the opposite direction of wherever I was headed. When I went to the store last week with the kids I was taking in this little window of time where they were both cooperative. Z was walking along beside me like a precious little angel, SJ was sitting calmly in the shopping cart like his precious little angel sister. Then we went to check out and I left feeling quite smug until I looked down to see that Z had an opened Kit Kat in his hands. I immediately did a U Turn (we were still in the store) and went back through the line to purchase the overpriced candy bar. The cashier had a line full of people waiting to check out, so I found an employee that looked less busy and made Z apologize for taking something that didn’t belong to him. She helped by telling him that it was okay, but that it was a bad idea and she hopes he doesn’t do it again. I looked at her and mouthed “thank you” because I always feel like things stick with him more when he hears it from another adult that to him is far more intimidating than his mom.
He is three and I don’t even think he understands the concept of purchasing versus stealing, but he did know that he was taking without permission and I figured we might as well address the issue early on. I do not condone his actions in anyway, but if he is going to steal at least he picked a good candy bar. Kit Kats are my favorite, and I was the one who got to eat it. Can you imagine if it was an Air Head? What a poor choice that would have been. I’m sorry, I mean, stealing is a serious crime. Bad. Very bad.
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 10, 2011|Uncategorized|4 Comments
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Waiting

I am not the most patient person when waiting. I’m not the worst either, I think I am just average, which in our culture means I don’t tolerate much. I had to photograph a professor the other day who had a line of people outside of his office. I had an appointment, but somehow it didn’t matter. Isn’t that how it always goes when someone has Dr. in front of their name?
So I am sitting outside his office waiting next to this old lady and noticing my equipment she asks me about my profession. I tell her about my job and how most importantly I am a mom. She starts advising me about having a back up plan because photography is unsteady work. Then she says “but you have your kids… for now”. It was so strange. I was glad when my time of waiting was over.
Then today I went to have my license renewed. You walk in and take a number (I took a number and a picture).

Then they call a number, a person walks in and out within 5 minutes, BUT they still do not call another number for another 20 minutes. In the mean time I am going a little stir crazy and dreading getting my picture taken because the idea of going to the DMV was not preplanned and I looked like crap. Finally they call my number and I have to fill out a little form which asks if I want to be an organ donor and I am not sure. I checked yes for one box, but no to another which sounded more like giving your parts to scientific research. It’s not that I don’t want to donate I would LOVE the opportunity, but unfortunately I have known some people that were donors and I’ve listened to stories from their loved ones who told me that dealing with the organ donor process immediately after the unexpected loss was a tedious intrusive and a painful thing to endure in the middle of a very difficult time. This makes me hesitant.
As I am filling out this information the employee asks me if I am still 5 ‘4, to which I laughed and confirmed. Then she asks my weight and I have to think about it. I know they aren’t worried about the exact numbers, but I was taken off guard. I don’t ever talk about my weight to anyone, it just seems personal. Not that I am worried about the DMV, I’m just saying that it feels weird to say it out loud, and on top of that I weigh less now than I ever have in my adult life, so the weight I am used to being is no longer the exact weight that I am. I never tried to loose anymore weight when I got down to my goal about 5 months after having SJ, but then I went down about 5 pounds further. At first I gave credit to breast feeding, then my excuse was that I was busy planning for my vow renewal, and now I am cutting back on sugar because of health issues. Either way I am at a healthy weight and I may or may not stay this size for long, but I am not complaining.
Anyway, I got my new license, the photo is taken, and I am not thrilled with the results, but I can live with it for 5 years or 6 if history repeats itself.
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 9, 2011|Uncategorized|2 Comments
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Bad Blogger Busy Liver

What this post title means is that I have been so busy living life that I have had a hard time keeping up with my blog like I would like to. Sure life is always busy, but right now it seems extra busy, like my busyness temperature reading is showing a fever of 103, and I hope to get that down to 98.6 soon. Speaking of fevers, I mentioned that we’ve all been some kind of sick around here. I try to fight things with natural remedies when I can because medications usually just deal with symptoms and I will spare you all my theories on that, but there comes a time when I just can’t take it anymore and I reached that point on Friday. I could feel the right side of my skull throbbing with sinus pressure and it was one of the worst kinds of pain I have every experienced. So I went down to drug store to get the strongest medicine available, for which you have to show an ID. No problem, I pulled out my wallet and the pharmacist told me that my license had expired. I was shocked. REALLY!? I asked with a perplexed congested look on my face. Yes, almost a year ago, she said. She couldn’t sell me the drugs with my expired license, so I just pulled the next best thing off the shelf. In the mean time I still have a sinus infection and an expired license which I have been driving around with since last JUNE! Hopefully I will have it all sorted out this week and still have enough to time to post some updates on
the kids

the chicks

and the house

because we have a lot to catch up on!
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 8, 2011|Uncategorized|2 Comments
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Q Week 7


I haven’t been posting my deals, although I have been going to CVS every week to at least “roll over” my extra bucks before they expire. Week 5 I got some free bubbles, easter candy, and an intuition razor for under a dollar, then on week 6 I got eye drops and some dove men’s deodorant (shown in the photo) all for free. This week I was able to get some household items that I really needed for just 62 cents. I had to use up some of my extra bucks, but I have $16.00 in EB left so I am doing just fine.

2 Magic erasers for $3 -$1.50
1 Cascade gel packs $4 -$.25
1 Colgate $2.77 -$.75
Total $12.77- Coupons and ECB’s= $.62
Total amount saved in 7 weeks= $122.33
By |2015-05-14T23:15:46+00:00May 8, 2011|Uncategorized|1 Comment
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